- Port St. Lucie leaders moved forward with a $2.2 billion mobility plan.
- The 2050 Mobility Plan covers roads, sidewalks, trails, bike lanes and transit.
- City officials say the plan is still $1.7 billion short of full funding.
The Port St. Lucie City Council approved the first reading of a $2.2 billion mobility plan on Monday, Sept. 21. The 2050 Mobility Plan is a road map for projects meant to ease traffic and keep up with growth in Port St. Lucie, but the City of Port St. Lucie says it is $1.7 billion short of full funding.
What the 2050 Mobility Plan Includes
The plan lists new and improved roads, sidewalks, trails, bike lanes and transit projects. It guides how the city builds infrastructure through 2050.
City officials say more than 65,000 people have moved to Port St. Lucie since 2020. The plan is meant to help the city respond to that growth and the traffic that comes with it.
With the first reading, council members updated the mobility fee schedule for the next four years. They also outlined a broader 25-year vision for the city.
The plan sorts projects into short-term, mid-term and long-term groups. Short-term projects look ahead to 2030. One of them is widening St. Lucie West Boulevard from four lanes to six lanes. Scott Samples of the city said mobility fees may need to help pay for that project.
How the City Plans to Pay for Projects
Mobility fees fund the projects in the plan. The city applies these fees to new development. Developers pay them, not homeowners.
Mayor Shannon Martin said growth has never paid for itself. Her comment points to the pressure that new residents can place on city finances.
Samples described mobility fees as one of the tools the city can use. He said the fees help create money to maintain existing infrastructure and also build for future growth.
Even with those fees, the city says a large gap remains. A city official told the council that there is not enough money to pay for every project in the plan. The official said the plan lists the needs the city sees based on its current analysis through 2050. The official called it one piece of the puzzle, not a full solution to the funding problem.
Next Steps Before the Plan Takes Effect
The plan is not final yet. The City Council must give it final approval before it can take effect on Dec. 31.
Until then, the funding gap stays in place. The city has not laid out a full way to cover the remaining $1.7 billion. Officials have pointed to mobility fee increases as one option for raising money.
Residents can follow updates on the plan and other city decisions through Port St. Lucie news on Treasure Coast.
Information for this report came from WPTV and the City of Port St. Lucie.
