'Putting the port in Port St. Lucie' will bolster the city's image
On an overcast day last weekend, a glimmer of Port St. Lucie's future shined through.
About 150 onlookers watched June 15 as the Port St. Lucie City Council and other local dignitaries cut a giant ribbon ― actually, a couple of them, for photo op purposes ― to officially symbolize the opening of the Port District.
The weather was typically Floridian, hot and muggy, but the setting couldn't have been more perfect. The crowd gathered near a giant banyan tree, just west of the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens, with the St. Lucie River flowing past.
Mayor Shannon Martin spoke about how the Port District can be an anchor for the community, closing her remarks with an often-repeated mantra to "put the port in Port St. Lucie."
Making the city live up to its name
It has been a long time coming. For much of its brief history as a city, the first word in Port St. Lucie's name has been more about marketing than substance.
People searching for an actual port in Port St. Lucie were as doomed to disappointment as those early Florida explorers who went searching for the Fountain of Youth farther north.
Slowly but surely, city officials are changing that. Over the last three years, they have been developing the Port District, located along the river's north fork near Port St. Lucie Boulevard, into a first-class park and gathering spot.
There's Pioneer Park, a colorful playground for the kids. There's a bandshell, for concerts and other events. There's a spacious lawn for games of Frisbee, fetch or outdoor fun.
But the real star of the district is the river itself. In a city filled with tract houses, manicured lawns and roundabouts that could represent Anywhere U.S.A., the St. Lucie River looks wild and exotic.
It looks like it could be the setting for a James Bond movie, mainly because it was the setting for a James Bond movie. The St. Lucie River served as a stand-in for the Amazon in "Moonraker," featuring scenes where the movie's hero is involved in a boat chase with a menacing metal-toothed villain nicknamed Jaws.
Next time someone tries to tell you Port St. Lucie isn't cool, you might want to bring that up.
Enhancing the city's coolness quotient
Let's face it: Port St. Lucie needs a lot of help in the image department. It's Florida's sixth largest city and the largest city on the Treasure Coast, but it doesn't really have a readily identifiable symbol or landmark.
And no, I don't think the giant heart sculpture that's being installed in Tradition is going to help. There are lots of places where a giant heart would seem like a fitting icon, but in Port St. Lucie, it just seems generic and contrived.
The river is neither. In aerial views of the city, it stands out. While most land inside the city limits has been thoroughly tamed by development, the river is anything but. Its banks are surrounded by thick plant life that probably looked much the same a couple of centuries ago.
People fortunate enough to own property along the river can enjoy its beauty every day. For the rest of us, though, there are only a few public access spots within the city limits.
The Port District is one of those spots. There's a boardwalk where people can marvel at the wildlife living within an urban oasis. There are places to launch paddle boards, kayaks or motorized boats. The river may be free from piranha and metal-toothed assassins, but it still promises a hint of adventure for those willing to explore it.
The Port District remains a work in progress. The River Food Garden hasn't been built yet. Given how closely our culture associates food with recreation, that's going to have to happen in order for the district to reach its full potential.
Neither the Peacock House, built in 1917, nor the Peacock Lodge, built in 1952, are open to the public yet, either. Having those buildings in the mix will give more people reasons to visit.
Port District offers geographical advantages
Even at its peak, the district won't be the city's only gathering spot. It'll have competition from Tradition Square, the planned Southern Grove Park & Amphitheater and the MIDFLORIDA Event Center.
Logistically, city leaders still need to work out a few details to help the district be all it can be. For example, at last weekend's event, dubbed Port Fest, they required people to park offsite and take shuttles from and to the event center.
In my experience, the shuttles operated smoothly ― several were waiting when I needed to get to the district, and one was loading just when I was ready to head back ― but that's still an inconvenience that could limit attendance at future events.
When people are trying to decide what they want to do on a lazy Saturday or Sunday afternoon, they are likely to choose the options that require the least amount of hassle.
The district actually has a fair number of parking spaces on the property, but for Port Fest, those were filled with concession booths. An easy fix would be to relocate the booths to the grassy area between the bandshell and the parking lot.
It was also odd for the city to host a car show marketed as part of Port Fest at Lyngate Park, making visitors even more dependent on the shuttles if they wanted to check out what was happening at both locations.
Forcing people to park and ride deprives the district of one of its greatest advantages ― its central location. While the event center is convenient for people who live on the east side and the Tradition venues are convenient for those living on the west side, the district is uniquely positioned to draw residents from all parts of the city.
Rallying along the water's edge
That's the kind of communal space Port St. Lucie has been missing. To a large degree, the city feels like a big mishmash of subdivisions, where people seldom venture outside their neighborhoods to have shared experiences with those who live in other parts of town.
The district can bring local residents, as well as those from other parts of the Treasure Coast, together. Not just because it's centrally located. But also because it's on the river, which is one of Port St. Lucie's strongest selling points.
Slapping "port" on the front of the community's name may have started out as an afterthought, just a way for General Development Corp. to sell more property. In 2024, Port St. Lucie's river port can be so much more.
This column reflects the opinion of Blake Fontenay. Contact him via email at [email protected] or at 772-232-5424.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Port St. Lucie's Port Fest should be a sign of great things to come
