VERO BEACH — The Indian River County Board of County Commissioners will temporarily recess its regularly scheduled meeting Aug. 4 so commissioners can attend the funeral service for Indian River County Fire Rescue Firefighter/Paramedic Geoffrey Scott Lang.

The board will begin its meeting as scheduled at 9 a.m. at the Indian River County Administration Complex, 1801 27th St., Building A, in Vero Beach. The meeting will recess at 10:30 a.m. and reconvene at 1 p.m. in the Commission Chambers to resume its remaining business.

Lang, 35, died unexpectedly July 25. He joined Indian River County Fire Rescue in 2015 and was assigned to Station 9 in Sebastian.

According to the county, Lang served Indian River County residents for more than a decade.

The Board of County Commissioners and county administration said they are mourning Lang's death and extended condolences to his wife, children, family, friends and Fire Rescue colleagues.

The county said Lang's dedication to public service and the impact he made throughout the community will not be forgotten.

A funeral service celebrating Lang's life is scheduled for 11 a.m. Aug. 4 at Community Church, 1901 23rd St., Vero Beach.

County officials advised residents and members of the media planning to attend the Aug. 4 commission meeting to note the temporary recess and revised meeting schedule.

MARTIN COUNTY — The Martin County School District is consolidating several school bus routes in an effort to reduce costs, with the changes expected to save about $255,000 annually.

District staff identified inefficient routes and combined them with existing routes as part of an effort to address a driver shortage, rising transportation costs and declining ridership.

Transportation Director Ruth Spires said the route changes will not result in layoffs, noting the district was already operating with fewer drivers than needed last school year.

"We were already challenged with shortage last year. So the routes that were cut, the drivers were already covered," she said. "I have 55 drivers, I have 55 routes that we were covering last year, and no driver was fired, all my drivers returned this year."

Some drivers remain concerned about the long-term effects of reducing the number of routes.

"I know everyone has a job to do, but I just feel like transportation always gets the short end of everything," bus driver Tommy Kendall said. "It may be a close thing because we're short of drivers, but I don't think it will be a good idea to just cut routes."

Spires also said the changes will not reduce drivers' pay because compensation is based on the amount of work they perform.

"They're not working less hours," she said. "They get paid for what they work. So if they're picking up an extra route, let's say there's a route that only has two tiers on it has now picked up an extra tier like they had an elementary and a high school and now they're picking up a middle school, they will get paid for what they work."

The district said bus stop locations will remain the same as last year. Parents can find information about their child's bus route at martinschools.org.

PORT ST. LUCIE — Port St. Lucie and St. Lucie County officials remain at odds over whether a proposed extension of the county's half-cent infrastructure sales tax should appear on the November ballot, with the issue expected to return to county commissioners just one day before the ballot deadline.

The disagreement comes despite a joint agreement reached in March in which the county and its municipalities agreed to place the measure before voters.

Richard Berrios, the Port St. Lucie city attorney, said Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie have already taken formal action in support of the referendum, while uncertainty has emerged at the county level.

"Fort Pierce and ourselves passed resolutions, essentially setting the surtax rate at a half a cent, calling for the referendum, and I think it's public knowledge that the county had a meeting on Tuesday [July 21] where there was some trepidation and discussion on whether to run a ballot later than 2026," he said.

Some county commissioners have questioned whether the measure should appear on this year's ballot, primarily because of concerns about the optics of placing a sales tax question alongside a statewide property tax reform measure.

Port St. Lucie considered adopting another resolution supporting the referendum, but Councilman Anthony Bonna argued it was unnecessary because he believes responsibility for placing the measure on the ballot rests with the county.

"If we pass this, there's going to be a narrative out here that the city put this on the ballot, the city did this, the city did that. This is already done. It's finished. This is superfluous. If four out of five county commissioners would be required to undo an ordinance under emergency procedures, they don't have that, because two commissioners support it being on the ballot," he said.

Bonna also cited state law, saying it appears to require the county to place the measure on the ballot if a local government representing a majority of the county's population adopts a supporting resolution.

Berrios said discussions with the county attorney and the attorney for the Supervisor of Elections have continued as officials work through the legal questions surrounding the measure.

"Regardless of whether or not this resolution is passed, is denied, is tabled, my legal position won't change. I am still going to have those exact same conversations I intended on having with both parties, assert our legal position as a collective," he said. "If there's some sort of escalation that necessitates some sort of legal proceedings, I will be coming back to you all with hat in hand, asking for permission."

The half-cent sales tax is not a new tax. Voters first approved it in 2018, and it is scheduled to expire in 2028. County officials originally sought to place the renewal on the ballot early to avoid any interruption in revenue collection once the current tax expires.

If approved, the extension would remain in effect through 2038 and generate an estimated $173 million for infrastructure projects. The revenue is used for projects such as road resurfacing, which Vice Mayor Jolien Caraballo said would be difficult to complete without the funding.

"I think they [residents] would be very surprised to see basically everything we've done, pretty much everything's been completed. Which is virtually impossible with the level of inflation we've had in the last 10 years and all of these other aspects," she said. "I think that's an important story to tell."

St. Lucie County commissioners are scheduled to consider the issue again at their Aug. 4 meeting, one day before the Aug. 5 deadline to place the measure on the November ballot.

Sea turtle nesting season is in full swing on Florida's Treasure Coast, with several species still laying new nests even as earlier nests begin to hatch, according to Kendra Bergman, executive director at Coastal Connections.

"It's where our nesting mamas are still laying new nests," Bergman said. "We have multiple species of sea turtles still laying new nests, as well as so many of the nests that were laid earlier in the summer are beginning to hatch, and those little hatchlings are emerging out of the sand, making their way to the ocean."

Bergman said the single best thing beachgoers can do during nesting season is avoid the beach after dark, especially on bright, moonlit nights.

"Your body as you're walking along the beach makes shadows and looks really scary to a turtle," she said. "You can actually prevent a turtle from coming out of the water and nesting because she thinks you're a predator."

If nighttime beach visits are unavoidable, Bergman urged people to skip flashlights, phone screens and other white light sources, which can disorient hatchlings making their way to the water.

"Those white lights are very distracting," she said. "They could make our little hatchlings, if you just so happen to be in the right place at the right time — it can make those little hatchlings go in the wrong direction. They only have a limited amount of energy stored in their body, so we don't want to accidentally take that away from them."

Florida's official sea turtle nesting season runs from March 1 through Oct. 31, though nests laid near the end of that window can take weeks to hatch. Bergman said the dates align with local lighting ordinances along the coast.

During daylight hours, beachgoers are unlikely to spot nesting turtles — six of the seven sea turtle species nest and hatch at night, Bergman said, and the one daytime nester, the Kemp's Ridley, is rare in Florida and has already finished its season locally.

Still, Bergman said families enjoying the beach during the day should take care around nesting areas. She recommended giving marked nests a wide berth when setting up chairs or umbrellas, filling in any holes dug in the sand, knocking down sandcastles, and packing out all trash before leaving.

"We don't want any of those little hatchlings to get stuck in those giant holes," she said.

Because nests can take unpredictable amounts of time to hatch — even two laid side by side on the same day — Coastal Connections doesn't offer a way to predict exactly when a hatch will happen. Instead, the organization conducts nest evaluations three days after staff notice a nest has emerged, sometimes finding a hatchling that didn't make it out on its own.

"About 50% of the time, there's at least one little hatchling left behind in that nest," Bergman said. "We're able to remove that hatchling as part of the nest evaluation, and thus release it back to the ocean when we are all done with that evaluation."

Those evaluations are open to the public as "turtle dig" events, held through mid-August this year. Bergman said the events, permitted by the state of Florida, offer the best chance to see a hatchling up close.

"It's a quick, fun, family-friendly event," she said.
Event times are posted on Coastal Connections' website calendar as soon as staff confirm a nest hatch, often with little advance notice.

"Definitely check it, maybe on a daily basis," Bergman said. "You never know when we're going to have one."

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The Indian River County Supervisor of Elections Office is mailing sample ballots this week to registered voter households ahead of the Aug. 18 primary election.

The sample ballots provide voters with a preview of the official ballot they will receive when voting in person. They also include polling place locations, early voting information and an explanation of Florida’s closed primary election system.

Election officials are encouraging voters to review their sample ballots before heading to the polls to become familiar with the races and candidates on the ballot.

Supervisor of Elections Leslie Rossway Swan said reviewing the ballot in advance can help voters prepare for Election Day.

“Sample ballots help voters make informed choices and plan ahead. We recommend marking your sample ballot in advance and bringing it with you when you vote,” Swan said.

Voters can also view their sample ballots online through the Indian River County Supervisor of Elections website by selecting the “My Sample Ballot” link.

Port St. Lucie is moving forward with two major infrastructure projects at Hogpen Slough near Walton Road that are intended to improve water quality and reduce flood risk.

The first project is a stormwater treatment area, which will help clean runoff from areas including Savannas Preserve State Park. According to the city, the project is intended to address existing conditions that limit the area's ability to treat and move stormwater.

"Currently, there's an overgrowth of invasive plants in the area, which makes it harder to move stormwater efficiently. And with lack of treatment areas there, stormwater runoff may not be treated as effectively. So, this project would address that by cleaning up the invasive plants and creating stormwater treatment areas where water from Hogpen Slough could be diverted into and then treated," Communications Manager Scott Samples said.

In addition to filtering nutrients from stormwater, the treatment area is expected to provide flood mitigation benefits. The city is also planning a second project nearby to modernize aging infrastructure.

"There will also be a replacement of an aging water control structure that's located south of Village Green and east of US 1. This will not only help manage water flow more efficiently and effectively, it will also incorporate new technology that can help staff remotely manage water levels by controlling pumps in the gates. This can have a significant benefit in flood prevention," Samples said.

City officials selected Hogpen Slough after reviewing microbial studies that identified the area as a location where stormwater improvements could help address water quality concerns while also reducing flood risk.

"And one of the areas they looked at was Hogpen Slough, and one of the recommendations that came from that was creating a stormwater treatment area to help improve the water quality. So, as we look both at areas where we can help to impact water quality, but also to mitigate some flood risk, this was a place that we felt would be a good candidate for that," Samples said.

The stormwater treatment area is expected to cost about $3 million, while the new water control structure is estimated at $1 million. Both projects are at least partially funded through grants.

Design work on both projects is nearing completion, but construction timelines differ. The city is still working to secure funding before construction can begin on the stormwater treatment area.

"The final design for the stormwater treatment area is about 90% complete, and that design for the completed by around September 2026. Funding is still pending for construction, which includes going out for grant applications, looking at the half-cent sales tax funding. And so, you know, while the design will be complete in September 2026, once we understand funding source, then we'll begin to think about a construction timeframe," Samples said.

He said the water control structure is also about 90% through the design phase.

"Then for the water control structure, design is about 90% complete. Construction is anticipated to start once the rainy season is over, and the estimated completion time for that is December of 2027," Samples said.

The Port St. Lucie Police Department recent unveiled its new state-of-the-art training facility during an invitation-only ribbon-cutting ceremony, ahead of the building becoming fully operational.

The 54,283-square-foot facility is designed to meet the training needs of one of Florida's fastest-growing cities, according to Chief Leo Niemczyk, who leads the Port St. Lucie Police Department.

Department officials say the center gives officers access to some of the most advanced training tools available to law enforcement.

The facility includes:

• A 20-lane, 9,508-square-foot indoor firearms range with an integrated MILO live-fire scenario system
• A 2,848-square-foot tactical shoot house with configurable rooms for scenario-based training
• A MILO Virtual Simulation Theater for decision-making and de-escalation exercises
• A defensive tactics training room equipped with Axon VR technology
• A multi-purpose room for classroom instruction, conferences and large-scale training
• Three floors of office space for the Training Division and Criminal Investigations Division, with 19 offices and 86 workstations

The building also features audio/visual technology throughout to support collaborative training.

ADG Architecture designed the facility, and HJ High served as the construction firm. Additional contributions came from Action Target, MILO and Whelen, among other project partners.

The building is a secure law enforcement site and will not be open to the public.

Large numbers of sea hares — soft-bodied marine mollusks related to sea slugs — have been washing ashore on Hutchinson Island beaches this month, part of an irregular phenomenon that even local experts say remains something of a mystery.

"Sea hares are a marine mollusk. They're a gastropod, not unlike a snail, except they don't have a shell," said Dr. Zack Jud, Director of Education & Exhibits at the Florida Oceanographic Society. "Technically, they're a type of sea slug."

According to Jud, mass sea hare appearances don't happen every year, but when they do occur, they tend to follow a pattern.

"It's a phenomenon that happens regularly, but not annually," Jud said. "Every couple of years, typically, right around this time of year, usually mid to late July, we get these huge eruptions of sea hares along our shoreline."

Scientists aren't certain what triggers the events. Jud said breeding or courtship behavior is one possibility, though egg masses — which would typically accompany spawning — usually aren't present. He suspects water temperature and wind patterns may play a larger role.

"Normally, when we see large numbers of sea hares along our beaches, we also have an upwelling event occurring," Jud said.

West winds during summer months can push warm surface water offshore, pulling cooler water up from the depths — conditions that tend to coincide with sea hare sightings, he said.

"I don't know if it's just a coincidence or whether that's part of the pattern," Jud said, "but it does seem to play out year after year when we have these conditions."

Jud said the sea hares themselves pose no danger to humans who might come into contact with them on the beach. Pets are a different story.

Sea hares release a purple ink for self-defense, and Jud said that ink can be toxic to dogs. He cautioned that he is not a veterinarian, but recommended pet owners keep dogs away from any sea hares washed up on shore.

"If you're walking your dog on the beach, you want to make sure you're keeping your dog away from any sea hares that have washed up on the shoreline," he said.

Jud said these events tend to pass quickly. Based on past occurrences, sea hares are typically present for about a week before disappearing again for an extended stretch.

He noted that recent trips on the water turned up only a handful of sea hares, compared to thousands seen just days earlier — a sign, he said, that this event may be winding down.

Despite the unpredictability of when sea hares will appear, Jud said the timing tends to be remarkably consistent once an event does occur.

"While we don't see sea hares every single summer, when they do appear, it's almost always exactly around the same time," he said. "I think that's a neat pattern. It's one of those scientific stories that we don't have all the answers to."

Stuart voters could decide in November whether to protect the city's historic baseball fields from being leased long term without voter approval after the City Commission agreed to continue discussions on placing a referendum on the ballot.

The proposal was first raised in May, when some commissioners pushed to place it on the August local election ballot. The commission instead delayed the measure until November to gather additional information about the fields and how they are used.

Commissioners received that information Monday, including a presentation on the facilities' operations and usage from Community Services Director Jim Chrulski.

"So in summary, 24 or possibly 25 user groups with 227 total field uses at Guy Davis, which a total facility revenue of $6,970. At Sailfish, 25 user groups, 673 total field uses with a revenue source of $24,305. And that was for last year," Chrulski said.

The proposed referendum would prohibit the city from entering into leases of 10 years or longer for the baseball fields without voter approval. City Attorney Lee Baggett said the language was modeled after restrictions previously adopted for city-owned waterfront properties and was written to avoid disrupting routine agreements needed to operate the facilities.

"If you'll see in the proposed language at the last line, I have that this restriction does not apply to leases reasonably necessary to support sports, recreation or concession uses serving the property. So there was some questions: 'Anytime the Little League has to do a lease, would they have to come before us and then go out for referendum for approval?' No, I have that in there as being excluded from that process," Baggett said.

Commissioner Campbell Rich said he did not oppose asking voters to weigh in but questioned whether the proposed language was broader than necessary. He urged removing the exemption for sports-related leases.

"My point is you're creating an exception for a situation that has never existed. That language to me seems perilous. I think you're creating an open for a situation that at least I don't have any interest in," Rich said.

Rich also said the proposed 10-year threshold should be reconsidered, arguing the city should regularly evaluate the costs and benefits of maintaining the facilities.

"If 90 percent of the users of this facility do not live in the city, I'm not saying we shouldn't do it, but I'm saying we should be very scrupulous on an annual basis of what it's costing the taxpayer, what benefits we're gaining. I don't like to see that 10 years anywhere near this referendum item. I think it could be much simpler," Rich said.

Commissioners generally agreed with revising the proposal but face a tight timeline if they want the measure to appear on the November ballot. The city must submit the referendum by Aug. 21 and has only one regularly scheduled commission meeting before that deadline, meaning a special meeting will be required. The meeting time is expected to be announced soon because state law requires at least 10 days' public notice.

The city's baseball fields have been a fixture in Stuart since the 1940s. Previous proposals to redevelop the property were abandoned following public opposition in 2018.

The St. Lucie Mets erased an early five-run deficit Sunday, scoring eight runs in the second inning to rally for an 11-8 victory over the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels in the finale of a seven-game series at Clover Park.

Despite the comeback, Fort Myers won the series 4-3 and finished with an 8-4 advantage in the season series.

The Mighty Mussels jumped out to a 5-0 lead by scoring three runs in the first inning and two more in the second.

The Mets responded with eight runs in the bottom of the second to take the lead for good. Randy Guzman delivered the key hit with a two-out, two-run single that turned a 5-4 deficit into a 6-5 advantage. Julio Zayas followed with a two-run single to extend the lead to 8-5.

St. Lucie added three more runs in the third inning. Elian Peña drove in a run with a single, Jacob Reimer hit an RBI double and Trey Snyder added a sacrifice fly to make it 11-5.

Conner Ware entered in relief in the third inning and held Fort Myers scoreless over the next four innings. Ware allowed one hit, walked one batter and struck out a career-high eight to earn the win. He struck out the side swinging in the fourth inning and struck out the side looking in the sixth.

Fort Myers scored three runs in the seventh inning against reliever Luis Sotillo, who was making his Mets debut. Sotillo recovered to retire six of the final seven batters he faced and finished the eighth inning.

Elwis Mijares pitched a perfect ninth inning on six pitches to record his third save.

Jeremy Rodriguez, batting ninth for the Mets, went 4 for 4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored.

Zayas and Peña each collected two hits.

Reimer, playing in his first Minor League Baseball rehab game while recovering from a groin injury, went 1 for 3 with a double, a walk, two RBIs and two runs scored. He played all nine innings at third base.

The Mets are 11-18 in the second half and 44-51 overall. After an off day Monday, they open a six-game road series against the Dunedin Blue Jays on Tuesday. First pitch at TD Ballpark is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.