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The City of Port St. Lucie invites the public to join us for our annual 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony. Marking the 21st anniversary since the attacks on our great nation, this ceremony will honor and remember the lives lost and forever impacted on Sept. 11, 2001.
The Port St. Lucie Police Department, St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office and St. Lucie County Fire District will assist with the ceremonies, with a special invocation by Chaplain Alice Delannoy, Port St. Lucie Police Department.
The ceremony will begin at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022, adjacent to the 9/11 monument at the MIDFLORIDA Event Center. Guests will be invited inside the Event Center following the ceremony for light refreshments. Those unable to attend in person are encouraged to watch live on the City’s Facebook Page.
We ask the members of our community to join us as we reflect, honor and remember our fallen neighbors, friends and loved ones lost on that fateful September day.
The City of Fort Pierce will hold a virtual memorial service to honor CeeCee Ross Lyles who perished on Flight 93 when it crashed in a Pennsylvania field during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The virtual memorial service will be hosted live through the City’s Facebook page, Sunday, September 11, 2022, at 9:30 AM. There will be a presentation of a wreath-laying and will have a moment of silence at Lyles’ dedicated statue located at the Liberty Garden. The public may tune in live at https://www.facebook.com/ftpierce/ to witness this virtual ceremony.
A life-sized bronze statue of the Fort Pierce native overlooks the Indian River. Born and raised in Fort Pierce, Lyles attended Fort Pierce Westwood High School and later served six years as a Fort Pierce Police Officer. In 2000, she moved to Fort Myers to pursue her dream of being a flight attendant.
This event open to the public and will be aired live on Facebook.
Annual 9/11 tribute and candlelight vigil in memory of all who were affected. Patriotic music, guest speakers, wreath laying.
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Born from the tragedy of 9/11, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation carries forward a legacy of courage and heroism. Built upon the mantra, “While we have time, LET US DO GOOD,” the Foundation supports our nation’s fallen and catastrophically injured first responders, military heroes and their families.
Please join us in supporting the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and America’s heroes by making a donation through this page. The process is fast, easy and secure. Thanks so much for your support, and please don’t forget to send this page to anyone you think might be interested in donating!
Tunnel To Towers 9/11 5K Run/Walk
Proceeds from the 5K benefit first responders. For more information, click here.
When: 7:30 a.m.
Where: Riverside Park, 3280 Riverside Park Dr., Vero Beach
HUD’s Secretary said higher FMR limits will expand housing opportunities. Based on location, Fla.’s start at $623 for an efficiency and goes to $3,433 for 4 bedrooms.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published its Fair Market Rents (FMRs) for Fiscal Year 2023. FMRs, published annually, are an estimate of the amount of money that would cover gross rents (rent and utility expenses) on 40% of the rental housing units in an area. It’s the basis for other HUD calculations, such as Section 8 vouchers.
Nationally, HUD says FMRs will increase by an average of about 10%.
“One of the reasons that housing voucher holders are unable to use those vouchers is because the value of their vouchers has not kept up with rapid rent increases,” says HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “These new FMRs will make it easier for voucher holders … to access affordable housing in most housing markets, while expanding the range of housing opportunities available to households.”
Florida Fair Market Rents in 2023
HUD has posted a roster of nationwide FMRs broken down by state and, in many cases, metro area. To see a breakdown for Florida, visit HUD’s analysis and select “Florida” from the menu.
The chart further breaks down rentals by size, from efficiencies to four bedrooms. In Florida, the least expensive FMR ranges from $623 for an efficiency in Levy and Washington counties, up to $3,433 for a four-bedroom rental in Monroe County.
HUD is required by law to set FMRs every year. FMRs, which go into effect on Oct. 1, are used in several HUD programs, including to determine the maximum amount that a Housing Choice Voucher will cover.
Of 100 metros tracked by government-backed mortgages, Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Sunrise and West Palm Beach-Boa Raton-Boynton Beach made the top 10.
It’s hard to underestimate the strength of Florida’s current home price increases in the second quarter of 2022 based on the Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (FHFA HPI). Index scores are based on mortgages – more than half of all in the U.S. – backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Of the 100 cities the index tracks, almost all Florida metros anchored the top 10 for year-over-year price increases, including two metros in the first and second spots. Only one Florida city, Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, didn’t make the top 10, and it was No. 11. Overall U.S. house prices rose 17.7% year-to-year in the second quarter (4.0% quarter-to-quarter), but no Florida metro area had an increase less than 26%.
Top 100 rank of Florida metros and year-to-year price increase
1. North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton: 36.5%
2. Cape Coral-Fort Myers: 36.0%
4. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater: 29.6%
5. Jacksonville: 29.0%
8. Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Sunrise: 26.9%
9. West Palm Beach-Boa Raton-Boynton Beach: 26.4%
10. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford: 26.3%
11. Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall: 26.1%
Overall, however, the nation started seeing a slowdown in the rate of home-price increases.
“Housing prices grew quickly through most of the second quarter of 2022, but a deceleration has appeared in the June monthly data” says William Doerner, Ph.D., supervisory economist in FHFA’s Division of Research and Statistics. “The pace of growth has subsided recently, which is consistent with other recent housing data.”
Other 2Q findings
U.S. housing market has experienced positive annual appreciation each quarter since the start of 2012.
House prices rose in all 50 states and the District of Columbia year-to-year. The five areas with the highest annual appreciation were: Florida 29.8%, Arizona 25.5%, North Carolina 25.2%, Montana 24.9% and Tennessee 24.3%
The areas with the lowest annual appreciation were the District of Columbia 5.2%, North Dakota 10.6%, Louisiana 10.8%, Minnesota 11.3% and Maryland 12.0%.
House prices rose in all of the top 100 largest metropolitan areas over the last four quarters greatest in North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton (up 36.4%) and weakest in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria (up 9.1%).
The quest for organized storage and space for pandemic reprieve spurred interest in transforming garages, but nowadays the sky’s the limit on how the space is used and looks.
When it comes to a garage, most clients won’t require the space to house 12 cars like a recent client of Los Angeles architecture firm KAA Design Group. In fact, the client himself didn’t need that much space. He owned only two cars but was thinking about resale value on his home—knowing car collectors are in abundance in L.A.—when he opted for the extra-large garage.
He’s currently using the extra space as an art studio, says Grant C. Kirkpatrick, KAA architect and founding partner.
The need for flexible garage space, however, is on the rise. Before the pandemic, most homeowners wanted and needed less. They required space to park two cars and room for some seasonal items or tools. However, lifestyle changes and pandemic-fueled hobbies mean a garage needs a little more flexibility to meet demand.
Changes Influencing Garage Space
During the pandemic, many people took up outdoor hobbies, says Laurel Vernazza, home design expert at The Plan Collection. As a result, space to store outdoor gear such as kayaks, paddleboards, golf clubs and bicycles tops the list of garage needs.
The pandemic also fueled requests for more quiet spaces away from the main part of the home, and garages sometimes served as a retreat, a home office or a gym.
Though it may not rank as high as the desire for an updated kitchen or owner’s bathroom, having a finished garage with flexible space has moved up on many buyers’ wish lists.
Converting Garage Space
One advantage of converting a garage, especially when it’s attached to the home, is that it is typically an easy and affordable transformation. The space is often already outfitted with electrical outlets and weatherproofing, says New York City–based architect Victor Body-Lawson of Body Lawson Associates. “An attached garage is also easy to heat or cool,” he says.
After it’s transformation, the garage is now bright, airy and includes an abundance of organized storage space.
A detached garage, however, is a bit of a challenge to convert, Body-Lawson says. “Expenses increase with big-ticket items of new windows, insulation, new floors, interior finishes and plumbing,” he says.
How often buyers undertake these types of changes often depends on a variety of factors: climate, property size, budget, age of the house and what neighboring homes offer.
An Overview of Demand for Garage Space
In historic mining town–turned–ski village Telluride, Colo., adding a garage can raise the home’s sale price by 20% or more, says salesperson Anne Brit Ostlund, with Mountain Rose Realty.
In contrast, the new nearby town of Mountain Village features many homes with a minimum of a three-car garage to make space for off-road vehicles, golf carts and town or sports cars, Ostlund says. Larger garages might add a 10% payback for resale, she says.
In still other communities such as Maplewood, N.J., having a garage is so important that removing one for whatever reason isn’t allowed unless it’s replaced. In the town, which has 25,000 residents, only 18 houses lack a garage, says Stephanie Mallios, a salesperson with Compass.
Besides functionality, Kirkpatrick says aesthetics are important for a garage. “Since our clients are most often coming home via their garage, it should be beautiful,” he says.
One trend is certain for new-home construction as well: Fewer new houses come without a garage of some kind. Developer Jeff Benach of Chicago-based Lexington Homes says he no longer brings to market a single-family house or townhouse without a garage that offers more than a single bay. He also won’t design one with a tandem layout, where cars line up behind one another.
Vernazza concurs that it’s rare for a new home to have room for just one car.
What Matters Most
Nowadays, want outweighs need when it comes to features that pique buyer interest. A finished, clean garage is likely to offer an uptick in value by presenting buyers with the plus of one less project to tackle, says Aaron Cash, founder of Toronto-based Garage Living, a franchise that transforms garages.
Clean and Uncluttered
The first step is to declutter the garage as you would any other part of the house rather than make it a dumping ground, says Cash. Though the garage was once a space to house dirtier objects like lawn maintenance equipment, homeowners would rather see a clean space as well. Montgomeryville, Pa.–based The Closet Works recommends using an antimicrobial or antibacterial finish on surfaces for cleanliness.
Door Styles
Nicer, more durable, and lower maintenance doors, sometimes constructed from galvanized metal that doesn’t rust or less costly vinyl, are preferred these days. Styles range from matching the rest of the house to setting a different vibe. For Mallios’ new two-car detached garage, she veered from her home’s Tudor style for mahogany carriage house doors and stucco facade, making it “more charming than my house,” she says.
A garage that has a clean design, matches the home’s overall aesthetic is in high demand.
The good news is that the garage door shortage, which hampered upgrades and new-home construction during pandemic supply chain delays, is lessening, according to Scott Balogh, owner of Aero Garage Door in Libertyville, Ill. “Backlogs have gone from one year to 14 weeks, though delays remain for certain popular colors, styles and materials. Among the more popular looks are wood tones that match a front door,” he says.
Garage doors add major aesthetic to the exterior of a home.
Garage door extras are also popular, including exterior lights, smart features used from a smartphone, and automatic controls since it’s more common for people to use their garage as an entry and exit from the house, Cash says. Cameras are also becoming more common, which helps with package delivery verification, Balogh says.
Windows
Windows have become popular, particularly in the upper third of the price range of garages, says Dan Timm, a salesperson with Baird & Warner in Libertyville, Ill. A cost-effective way to include them is to have them on the garage’s top panel or one just below, he says. “It breaks up what is otherwise a monolithic slab,” Timm says. But, in some houses and front-loading garages, they may be placed on a side.
Windows and EV charging stations are high on the list of wants.
EV Charging Stations
As interest in EV expands, garages need to accommodate home charging. More of Case’s clients ask to install one station or at least provide the rough-in for work to be finished later, and the vast majority of newly constructed houses are including one, he says. When Mallios built her new garage, she installed two.
Interior Floor and Walls
Those who want to spiff up their garages may start with a floor coating that’s similar to epoxy and makes the garage easier to clean, says Cash. A variety of colors and textures are available, he says. Designer Claire Ownby of Scottsdale, Ariz.–based Ownby Design often chooses from porcelain wood tiles, industrial carpet tiles or polished concrete. “It really depends on the aesthetics of the environment, but we are typically treating the floors with a more affordable and durable version of the interior of the house,” she says. Gray still ranks high in popularity since it’s neutral and hides dirt, according to Closet Works.
Finished garages, with finished walls and floors act as an extension of a home’s look.
Organized Storage
Storage and organization are top of mind for all spaces in the home, including the garage. Adding slats and other systems along walls or installing cabinets, drawers and bins, some with locks to keep out children, are popular options to add intentional storage space. Some also like to add overhead racks that they can reach with a pulley system or ladder. Having good visibility by adding more lighting than the typical single bulb makes finding stuff easier, Cash says.
Organized storage makes more ground space and prevents clutter.
Sal Graci of River Avenue Digital, which handles Closet Works’ marketing, makes other recommendations: leave empty space for future expansion, install only adjustable systems so changes can be made and store stuff off the ground to leave room for cars and avoid damage if flooding occurs.
Car Lifts
Commonplace in commercial garages, these have become more popular in residential and allow an owner or potential future owner to have a large car collection without adding square footage, Ownby says.
BONUS: Garage or an Extension of the Indoor Space?
The garage is frequently becoming an entertainment destination with the clever moniker of the “gar-bar” or “new speakeasy,” Mallios says. One house Mallios recently sold at 18% above the asking price had a four-car garage with such a space. It helped its owners survive the pandemic, she says.
For some KAA Design clients, the garage becomes a man cave or equivalent. “The pride in their vehicle or vehicles and the car culture results in a desire for a garage that brings it all together—car display, workshop, lounge and bar, entertainment, etc. for solo reflection or friends and parties,” Kirkpatrick says.
A client of Timm’s installed a TV, sound system, color-changing LED lights, epoxy floor and collection of vintage car grills with lights inside the headlight spaces.
Also becoming more common is to convert part of the garage into an accessory dwelling unit so it can be occupied by family, grown children, college students or renters as home prices and rents rise, says architect Body-Lawson. Some ADUs also become offices for new businesses, he says.
Thousands of people flocked to a little English village to see homeowners decorate their properties with comical creations as part of an annual scarecrow competition.
Resident have been turning heads with their weird and wacky scarecrows placed outside their homes in Brinklow, Warwickshire.
More than 80 incredible displays have been erected throughout the picturesque village, including non-fictional creations like Prime Minster Boris Johnson relaxing on a deckchair, and fictional ones like ET and Elliot talking off from a front garden in a bicycle.
Elsewhere, Spiderman can be seen dangling from one family’s tree while a giant pairs of legs stick out of another.
The Minions, Mr. Bean, Edward Scissorhands, Shrek, The Queen and the characters from the Wizard of Oz make up some of the other funny displays.
This edition of the Brinklow Scarecrow Festival was special and well anticipated, as it was returning for the first time in three years following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Brinklow Scarecrow festival – SWNS
“It’s just a good bit of fun and after the last couple of years we’ve had that’s what we can all do with,” said 66-year-old resident Peter Cox.
“Everybody goes all out to create these wonderful scarecrows, a lot of time and effort goes into it and if I’m honest, people get a bit competitive too.”
“But it’s all part of the fun and its lovely to see so many people come from all over to see them in our little village.”
Visitors were also treated to flybys from a Royal Air Force Hurricane fighter jet and by a rare Lancaster bomber, as well as live bands and children’s rides.
The Brinklow Scarecrow festival in Warwickshire – SWNS
It’s everything someone could want from a small town festival.
Now in its fourth year, the last event raised over £15,000 for charity.
SEE all the entries below…
SCARE The Bad News Crows Away With This Charming Village Festival…
They admit hiding a known issue (property defects) with the home, which is against the law in most states. These are the 13 most common problems buyers find after closing a transaction.
Home buyers who waive the inspection contingency must rely heavily on seller disclosures to be informed about any potential problems with the property. But more than 90% of buyers say they found at least one issue with their home after the transaction that the seller didn’t disclose, according to a new survey from Cinch Home Services, a home warranty company. Even more alarming is that 94% of sellers admit to selling their homes without disclosing a known issue.
“Sellers failing to disclose home damage is against the law in most states. To ensure protection, prospective home buyers should ask for a completed seller’s disclosure in addition to conducting a thorough home inspection before closing on a new home,” says Cinch spokesperson Bella Valentini.
The top three problems buyers discovered after closing involved the electrical system, fixtures and plumbing. The survey shows the majority came from unpermitted repairs and upgrades, suggesting sellers should rethink doing some DIY jobs.
FCC brings additional relief before its contracted start date
Waste relief will begin three days earlier than contracted thanks to Port St. Lucie’s new waste hauler, FCC Environmental Services Florida, LLC. Beginning Thursday, Sept. 1, FCC and the City will deploy extra crews specifically to pick up trash left on the ground and in personal trash cans, but not in the City-issued carts.
This effort is meant to help alleviate the accumulation left behind by the City’s previous hauler, Waste Pro, before FCC officially begins its service on Monday, Sept. 5. These extra crews will not be collecting any trash in a city-issued carts because that waste will be collected on residents’ designated collection day beginning Monday by FCC’s automated trucks.
These advance teams will work Thursday through Saturday, and then throughout next week to clear waste ahead of FCC’s automated trucks. Other efforts to clear the City of waste include:
FCC will continue to collect yard and bulk waste along with Optimum Services, Inc.
PSL’s leased waste collection trucks will continue to be dispatched to the most critical service needs as reported to 1PSL.
St. Lucie County Waste Bailing and Recycling Facility has extended its hours of operation to address the backlog of waste.
Beginning Labor Day, Sept. 5, FCC will begin its new automated collection process and its 17 automated side-loader garbage trucks will collect items inside the City-issued garbage carts, while the extra FCC and City crews will collect any remaining garbage.
Also beginning Monday, FCC will deploy 15 automated side-loaders for recycling, 10 rear-loaders, for yard and bulk waste, 2 clamshell trucks for yard waste and 4-rear loaders for bulk waste. In addition, six route managers have been assigned for coordinating all service levels.
To ensure a smooth transition process, residents can assist in the collection efforts by:
Making sure the handle of the City issued recycling and garbage carts faces your house and the lid openings face the street.
Keeping the garbage and recycling cart lids closed and placing garbage in the bag(s) inside the cart and recycling loose in the cart. If a household was using the recycling cart as a trash can, if possible, please rinse the cart before using it as a recycling cart. This cleaning is important to prevent residue from contaminating recyclables.
Keeping all carts and bulk piles three (3) feet away from anything that may block the collection truck. This includes other carts, fire hydrants, parked cars, fences, mailboxes, trees, overhead wires and utility poles.
Placing carts by the curb by 7 a.m. on their collection day.
The City is asking residents to help FCC Environmental Services Florida by being patient during this transition period. The drivers and helpers have worked hard to get to this point and are committed to bringing a consistent and reliable waste collection service back to Port St. Lucie.
