Eric Strazzeri is running for Mayor of Port St. Lucie. A retired combat veteran who deployed to Iraq after the September 11 attacks, Strazzeri said watching politicians campaign without delivering on their promises is part of what led him to run for office.
Military Service and a Personal Turning Point
Strazzeri said he joined the Army after the September 11 attacks and deployed to Iraq. He became an official candidate for mayor about two years ago, a decision he said was tied to a difficult period in his family’s life. He described sitting in a hospital room with his son, who was undergoing cancer treatment at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville at the time. His son passed away last year. Strazzeri said the experience, including frustration with how the medical and insurance systems responded, factored into his decision to run for office.
Leadership Background in the Military and Cybersecurity
After leaving the Army, Strazzeri said he moved into corporate cybersecurity, building security operations centers that provided managed services to Fortune 50 and 100 companies. He said the role involved briefing chief executives and boards of directors on security posture and recommendations. He described his combined military and corporate leadership experience as central to the decision-making approach he would bring to the mayor’s office.
Growth Outpacing Infrastructure
Strazzeri said Port St. Lucie’s population has grown significantly since his family moved to the area in 2004, but he argued the city’s infrastructure, particularly its roads, has not kept pace. He cited figures suggesting the city has become the fifth-largest city in Florida by population, trailing only Orlando. Later in the conversation, while discussing the city’s form of government, he separately referred to Port St. Lucie as the sixth-largest city in the state.
He pointed to Saint Lucie West Boulevard as an example of heavy congestion and said the city’s long-range planning, which extends to 2050, does not adequately address near-term needs. He said some roads need to be widened, but also pointed to traffic signal timing as an area that could be improved more quickly and at lower cost.
The Soccer Stadium and Entertainment Options
Strazzeri said he opposes the city’s minor league soccer stadium project. He argued that expanding the MidFlorida Civic Center into a larger, multi-use venue capable of hosting concerts, sporting events, and other entertainment would have been a better investment than a single-use stadium. He compared the potential outcome to attendance at Saint Lucie Mets spring training games, saying turnout outside of the team’s brief spring season is limited.
He also raised concerns about infrastructure keeping pace with development in the St. Lucie West area, referencing a planned entertainment or BMX park project near a road he described as only one lane. He noted that Tradition already has an existing BMX track, and that a similar facility was also planned for Torino Regional Park.
TreasureCoast.com has previously covered the city’s stadium plans in a separate episode on the Port St. Lucie soccer stadium project.
Public Safety Cameras and Community Spending
Strazzeri said he opposes the city’s use of red light and license plate reading cameras, citing cost and privacy concerns. He said he would prefer to redirect that funding toward community programs, including free swimming lessons for children and families. He also pointed to local organizations he said are doing beneficial work in the community, citing Mustard Seed Ministries and Sara’s Kitchen as examples.
Government Transparency
Strazzeri said he wants to hold quarterly town halls that include not just the mayor but other elected officials and the police chief, so residents can direct questions to the appropriate leaders. He said he supports adding a feedback option to the city’s website and posting recordings of town halls online for residents who cannot attend in person. He also said he wants the city to share a rolling 90-day outlook of upcoming decisions so residents have advance notice before votes are taken, saying the process around the soccer stadium decision did not provide that kind of notice.
Top Priorities If Elected
Asked to name his top three priorities, Strazzeri listed:
- Infrastructure, including roads, drainage, and technology systems
- Quality of life, including jobs and entertainment options
- Fiscal responsibility, which he said would involve a full review of the city budget
He referenced past flooding in parts of northern Port St. Lucie as an example of drainage issues he considers unresolved.
Rethinking Port St. Lucie’s Form of Government
Strazzeri discussed his interest in changing Port St. Lucie’s government structure. The city currently operates under a council-manager system that Strazzeri said has been in place since 1961, when the city’s population was around 300. He proposed moving toward what he called a strong mayor model, with a chief administrative officer reporting to the mayor rather than to a city manager. He said this change would require voter approval to amend the city charter, and that it would place more direct accountability on the mayor’s office for decisions made on the city’s behalf.
A Self-Funded Campaign
Strazzeri said his campaign is funded entirely through his own retirement savings and that he has not accepted campaign contributions from outside donors.
Listeners interested in how growth, infrastructure, and local elections intersect across the Treasure Coast can also find related coverage in TreasureCoast.com’s episodes on Tradition’s farmers market and community development, water issues ahead of local elections, and ongoing St. Lucie County news coverage.
