Fort Pierce - Monday April 24, 2023: Area residents, visitors, Fort Pierce Police officers, St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Deputies and firefighters from St. Lucie County Fire Rescue took part in the “Back The Blue” parade Saturday at the Causeway Cove Marina in Fort Pierce.
The event was part of the Fort Pierce Police Department’s Centennial celebrations and was presented by the St. Lucie County Historical Society.
“Back The Blue” kicked off at about 8:45 a.m. as a group of supporters waving flags and carrying signs crossed the Fort Pierce South Bridge (P.P. Cobb Bridge) to meet up with a variety of vehicles and others at the Fort Pierce Yacht Club. A short time later, a parade kicked off from the yacht club and ended at Causeway Cove Marina, where the festivities were ready to get underway.
Charlie Hayek, who chaired a committee that planned Saturday’s event, was all smiles after making his way across the bridge with a large “Back The Blue” flag in hand.
“The Police Department is very important, not only to me but to the entire city,” said Hayek, who also serves as chairman of the agency’s Community Advisory Committee. “It shows that people support the police,” he said of those who participated in the event. “And then we got a lot of horn honks and everything else. People were waving at us, so there is support in the community.”
“We wanted to show everybody that our community supports the police – everybody,” said Fort Pierce Mayor Linda Hudson. “We are one Fort Pierce and we all support the police.”
“It warms our hearts to see so much support from the community we love,” said Fort Pierce Police Chief Diane Hobley-Burney “We’d also like to thank the St. Lucie Historical Society and all the volunteers who made this event a reality as part of the Police Department’s Centennial Celebration. It truly was a special day and our officers thoroughly enjoyed spending time with those they serve on a daily basis.”
The Fort Pierce Sportfishing Club put on a free clinic for kids. And there were local vendors in attendance, as well as free food and beverages, snow cones, popcorn and a demonstration by the K-9 units from the Fort Pierce Police Department and the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office that clearly wowed the crowd.