A3
A real ‘bat man’
Educating and protecting
Jewelia on tour
Taste of Tradition for HANDS Clinic
A20
Mo’ Moberg
IRSC arts head excited for new season
B1
ST. LUCIE WEST • TRADITION
YourVoiceWeekly.com VOL. 3/ISSUE 46
YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2015
We will never forget Project to transport sand to Miami-Dade beaches questioned St. Lucie County commissioners seek full study Jay Meisel
FOR YOUR VOICE NEWS & VIEWS
Mitch Kloorfain/chief photographer Rob Newman, St. Lucie County firefighter/paramedic rang the bell during the ceremonies memorializing those who died on Sept. 11, 2001 in New York City, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania. Ceremonies were held at the Port St. Lucie Civic Center in front of a piece of steel from the twin towers on permanent display.
ST. LUCIE COUNTY — It’s obvious why the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is considering removing sand from off the coast of St. Lucie County and use it for Miami-Dade beaches. A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study shows that during the next 50 years Miami-Dade County needs more than 18.2 million cubic yards of sand to maintain its beaches. But, a study chart states that with only 7 million cubic yards available off the coast of Miami-Dade County, there’s a shortfall of11.2 million cubic yards. Further north, St. Lucie County will need 24.4 million cubic yards. The study states that there’s 58.8 million cubic yards, resulting in a surplus of 34.3 million cubic yards of sand available. While everything would work
out according to the numbers to move some of that sand to Miami-Dade, St. Lucie County commissioners have qualms about the process. The County Commission wants the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a full environmental impact study before making a decision. That would exceed the initial environmental assessment conducted by the Corps that concludes moving the sand won’t be environmentally detrimental to the St. Lucie County area. St. Lucie County Commissioner Frannie Hutchinson said she believes the Corps needs to conduct a more detailed environmental study to determine the environmental impacts. She said the study is also needed because the issue affects five counties, St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade. Although only Miami-Dade needs sand now, other counties, such as Palm Beach, may need it in the not-too-distant future, she said. Hutchinson said she believes
See SAND page A7
Christ Fellowship making mega move into Tradition Patrick McCallister STAFF WRITER
pmccallister@YourVoiceWeekly.com
TRADITION — Local ministers say they’re generally upbeat about mega-church Christ Fellowship moving into the Treasure
Coast. “I’m looking forward to Tradition getting its first permanent church,” Bill Whitt, pastor of Sunlight Community Church in St. Lucie West, said. In July Port St. Lucie City Manager Jeff Bremer ceremo-
nially handed the keys of Tradition Studios over to Christ Fellowship pastors. Buying the 115,000-square-foot building came about the same time the Palm Beach Gardens church was preparing to open a new 50,000-square-foot Stuart cam-
pus. That facility, which opened in August, was its eighth. The church had been holding services at South Fork High School before then. Those services attracted about 1,500.
See CHURCH page A11
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