Here’s your chance to help shape PSL’s future: Participate in 2022 National Community Survey™

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL – To better serve residents and to learn more about the needs and desires of our citizens, the City of Port St. Lucie has partnered for the fifth year in a row with the National Research Center (NRC) and Polco to conduct the National Community Survey™ in the City.

The NRC has begun to mail these important surveys to a statistically valid sample of residents. If you receive one in the mail, City leaders request you please take the time to fill it out and return the survey. The information gathered from this survey and the annual Citizen Summit are an important part of the City Council’s strategic planning process. These tools give the City critical insights into the desires of residents while the City Council updates the City’s strategic goals in 2022.

For those who do not receive a mail-in survey, the NRC will make an online option available to all residents at www.cityofpsl.com from January 25 to February 8.

The survey centers on community livability and includes questions about the quality of life in Port St. Lucie, demographics, rating of local government services, and residents’ use of services. The NRC’s and Polco’s highly skilled team of social science researchers, with extensive experience and insight into local government, will provide the City with comparative data from other local governments across the country. Data from the survey will assist the Mayor, City Council and staff to make operational, strategic, and policy decisions.

Feedback gathered from past Community Surveys has directly led to important community goals, initiatives and changes, including:

Projects funded by the voter-approved Half Cent Sales Tax were prioritized by the City Council based on input from the survey and Citizen Summit.
Key findings from past surveys showed mobility continues to be a challenge for the City. This prompted the City Council to include a new strategic goal to improve mobility and a multimodal plan was adopted for transit and mobility improvements including trails.
The city created a music concert series with national acts after the survey and citizen summit revealed there was demand in the community for these types of events.

Operating a high-performing government organization is a key strategic goal of the Mayor and City Council, and this survey is an important way the City is working toward that goal. The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) has identified conducting surveys for data-driven decisions as a leading practice for local governments to pursue in evaluating their performance, enhancing their communications with the community and helping with decision making.

The City’s efforts were previously awarded the Voice of the People Award for Transformation in Foundations and Community Engagement. This is the only national award that honors local governments based on feedback from residents. The award is presented by Polco / National Research Center (NRC) and ICMA and acknowledges local governments that make significant improvements on The NCS ratings and that take the best actions on behalf of their communities.