Message from the Mayor

Welcome to the City of Fort Pierce

Ten Reasons to Choose Fort Pierce to live, work, learn and play, year-round:

Location:  On Florida’s southeast Atlantic Coast, Fort Pierce is the county seat of St. Lucie County, the heart of the Treasure Coast.  Our beautiful Indian River Lagoon is wide, our beaches are uncrowded, pristine, and plentiful and our waters are clear and clean.  The Port of Fort Pierce is one of Florida’s 14 deepwater ports, set to be a hub for mega yacht repair and retrofit operations (MRO) and operated by Derecktor Shipyards. The Treasure Coast International Airport (TCIA) is on track to be a thriving aviation MRO. The customs experience is ranked # 1 by private pilots.  

Fort Pierce Inlet: The Fort Pierce Inlet celebrated its 100 year anniversary in 2021.  It connects the Atlantic Ocean with the biodiverse Indian River Lagoon. The City Marina has been restored and enhanced and is now protected by a unique waterfront island protection and water cleaning system.  With additional docks, enhanced marina amenities, dinghy docks for day-trippers, and a recently-dredged channel for larger vessels, the Fort Pierce City Marina is a boater favorite.   

Parks:  Throughout the city, our parks have been enhanced and improved, including Moore’s Creek and Inlet Linear Parks, Causeway, South Beach, and Jetty Parks, Maravilla Park (including a dog park), Dreamland and Pioneers Parks. Marina Square, Old Fort Park, Veterans Memorial and Indian Hills Restoration and Recreation Parks.     

Redevelopment:  Incorporated in 1901, Fort Pierce has redeveloped and beautified our historic Downtown, the Avenue D corridor and South Hutchinson Island. A seven-acre site located on Moore’s Creek is ready for redevelopment as Kings Landing.  Fisherman’s Wharf will soon be redeveloped with uses that create a buffer zone between Historic Edgartown and the Port of Fort Pierce. The Melody Lane Fishing Pier is a new addition for residents and visitors to take advantage of the enhanced fishing created by the islands in the Lagoon.  

Culture: The Sunrise Theatre, a 1200 seat performing arts venue has been restored. The Highwaymen Heritage Trail features 26 African American speed-painters of Florida landscapes who sold their art from their vehicles along the highways of South Florida.  The Zora Neale Hurston Dust Tracks Trail, commemorates the noted author and anthropologist who lived her last years in Fort Pierce. Recently, the City acquired historic school property, Means Court, now a center for neighborhood improvement.  Additionally, a new Highwaymen Museum has been identified, along with continued support of the Lincoln Theatre restoration. Our museums include the A, E. “Beanie” Backus Museum and Gallery, and the St. Lucie Regional History Museum, with its satellite Adams Cobb Cultural Museum in the P.P. Cobb Building. 

Clean Water:  The Fort Pierce Inlet keeps the waters of the Indian River Lagoon clean and adds just the right amount of salinity from the Atlantic Ocean.  Marine research is conducted by the Smithsonian Marine Station, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, and the Ocean Research and Conservation Association. The Indian Hills Restoration and Recreation Area cleans the water before it enters the Lagoon, as does the Veterans Memorial Park. The multiuse Sun Trail opened its first segment in 2022 connecting the city-owned and operated Indian Hills Golf Course to south of Savannah Road.  

Attractions:  A popular tourist attraction, the National UDT Navy SEAL museum, commemorates the birth of the Navy frogmen here in Fort Pierce, and chronicles the evolution of this military unit to today’s Navy SEALs.  Nearby Port St. Lucie is the Spring Training home of the New York Mets.  Private and public golf courses are plentiful, including the world-renowned PGA courses in Port St. Lucie as well as St. Lucie County’s Fairwinds Golf Course and Indian Hills.  The highly-rated Downtown Fort Pierce Farmers Market is a Saturday Morning Tradition at Marina Square along with the Green Market every Wednesday afternoon.  

Education: School graduation rates improved to 94.5% in 2020-2021.  Fort Pierce has excellent private schools, including St. Anastasia and John Carroll Catholic schools and St. Andrews Episcopal Academy lower and upper schools.  We are proud to be the home of Indian River State College ranked highest in affordability in Florida.  In 2019, IRSC won the Aspen Prize for community college excellence, making it the #1 community college in the nation.     

Medical Care:  Fort Pierce is the home of Lawnwood Regional Medical Center, a Level II Trauma Center hospital with many unique services.  Lawnwood is a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and a Pediatric Emergency Care unit.  Lawnwood is known throughout the region for its experienced cardiac and pediatric services. Lawnwood has embarked on a $100 million investment at the Lawnwood campus.  The newly-completed Ardie R. Copas State Veterans’ Nursing Home is located in nearby Tradition.          

It’s your turn to find your own reason.  Here’s a hint:   The City of Fort Pierce offers small-town atmosphere, a year-round ideal climate, and no metropolitan hassles. But just in case you miss that big city allure, Orlando, Tampa, and Miami are all a mere two hours away. 

Welcome, 
Linda Hudson, Mayor