This editorial was amended to list the date of what, at the time of writing, was the most recent campaign contribution date.
Candidates:
MAYOR: Steven Giordano, 44; Shannon Martin, 54; Eric Strazzeri, 45.
DISTRICT 1: Indony Jean Baptiste, 58; Rick Meltzer, 53; Eric Reikenis, 47; Kevin Zimmerman, 63.
DISTRICT 3: Fritz Masson Alexandre, 63; Jim Norton, 63; Peter Overhuls, 79.
KEY ISSUES: Traffic, growth, finances, experience
A lot has changed in Port St. Lucie since 2018, when the mayor and one council member ran unopposed and incumbent Martin had only token opposition in her re-election campaign.
This year Martin, now mayor, raised a city-record $115,000 in campaign contributions through July 10, by far the highest haul on the Treasure Coast among candidates in local races this year.
Norton, looking to replace Anthony Bonna (running for state representative), has raised an outsized $62,296. Martin and Norton, the latter from Bonna’s political action committee, drew his financial support.
Given the city’s biggest statistical change ― an estimated 44.7% increase in population, from 185,843 in 2018 to 268,062 in 2025 — it’s no wonder Martin and Norton have generated so many contributions from in- and out-of-town real estate, construction, finance and development interests. Norton is a Realtor and chairman of the city’s Planning and Zoning Board,
They’ve even drawn contributions from Special Services Support Inc. in Palm Beach Gardens, which manages and represents operations of tax-supported special districts and resident-supported community development districts, some of which operate (or might hope to) in the city.
Perhaps it’s no wonder over the past eight years, city surveys show resident concerns in key areas have grown.
For example, in 2018, a record 60% of residents taking the city’s annual survey ranked performance at “being honest” excellent or good. That dipped to 54% in 2022 and 32% in 2026.
Our staff reported earlier this year good or excellent numbers for the value of city services (29%), government being open and transparent (29%) and land use (24%) also have fallen significantly.
“Satisfaction with traffic issues on major streets has fallen since 2018, but much slower, from 32% to 16%. In 2024 and 2025 it was 17%,” we reported.
The good news is this is no surprise to candidates running this year. The bad news is none offered a silver bullet to fix what ails the city.
Some candidates, however, are better than others.
Port St Lucie mayoral candidates
In the mayor’s race, Martin, in office since 2010, has had her share of successes, helping the city emerge from some awful debt-ridden decisions. But she carries baggage, too.
Though sometimes controversial, the city’s efforts to attract new business and health care facilities — from its southwest jobs corridor to the soccer and mixed-use neighborhood at Walton & One ― have, so far, been successful, but also kept secret for far too long.
Still, ongoing development ― massive urban sprawl in gated communities, with traffic generated before road improvements are made — is a recipe for disaster no matter how many nice amenities the city helps to create.
Giordano also has a record of public service, as a St. Lucie County sheriff’s deputy. His can’t compare to Martin’s.
In 2015, an internal affairs investigation alleged he committed a crime, associated with criminals and committed other infractions, TCPalm reported, citing sheriff’s investigators. Giordano resigned before the probe was completed and was not arrested, Lt. Mike Sheelar, sheriff’s spokesman said at the time.
It’s unfortunate, because Giordano, a contractor, seems to be a bright guy with lots of passion. Trust is essential in elected office.
Strazzeri might be a good alternative, but his lack of public experience limits our assessment.
An Army veteran who served in Iraq, Strazzeri, who says he works in technology security operations, offers lots of ideas, but few specifics on how he’d accomplish them. He should get more involved in city government as a volunteer, perhaps on a committee, learn more about how it runs, and run again.
For now, Martin’s knowledge and experience is elite. We can only hope she keeps city leaders accountable and growth more under control. She must have residents — not special interests who helped to fund her campaign ―– in mind.
Port St Lucie District 1
In District 1, three solid candidates are running. Baptiste is not one. He did not answer the TCPalm questionnaire or reply to our request to interview him.
Zimmerman, who lost to Realtor Stephanie Morgan in 2022, and Baptiste each got about 19% of the vote. This year, while all candidates expressed concern about growth and traffic, Zimmerman, a former transportation business owner, pushed for more transparency on the budget.
Meltzer, a mortgage loan originator and youth sports coach, used phrases like “affordability,” “accountability” and “accessibility” as metrics the council should use to determine if it does its job effectively. He thinks the city needs to use “smart growth.”
Reikenis, a Realtor, physical therapist assistant and member of the city’s planning board, has the most knowledge about the city. That said, he doesn’t offer many detailed solutions to problems that ail the city.
And it’s interesting he’s raised the most money in his race through July 10, $14,430, almost twice as much as Meltzer ― Baptiste has raised the second most — and is supported financially by Martin, Norton, Morgan and a number of real estate and development interests.
His experience with the city gives him an edge over his opponents.
Port St Lucie District 3
In District 3, the only candidates worth considering are Norton and Overhuls. Alexandre was MIA for our interviews again this year, though he did answer our questionnaire.
Norton, who bought his PSL home in 2021, seems like the consummate South Florida politician.
He was a Weston commissioner for about six years, resigning to run for Broward County Commission in 2016. He got only 31% of the county vote against Nan Rich, a former state senator, in the Democrat primary. He sought to regain his city seat in 2017, but got only 20% of the vote against winner Byron Jaffe despite touting accomplishments such as keeping the city safe, low tax rate and founding a charter school, philharmonic society and library friends group.
While Norton listed traffic as one of Port St. Lucie’s top issues, he suggested it was really only bad at rush hour ― a problem across the country. Coming from Broward County, maybe the traffic Norton sees now is not bad in comparison, but many PSL residents might disagree.
The good news is he offered three decent metrics the council might use — and voters could use ― to measure council’s success: the value residents think they are getting from the city (as measured in the survey), on budget and on time on all projects, traffic flowing better and using technology to get there.
He envisioned a more professional city moving forward, a place where all sorts of people could enjoy living, working and playing. Overhuls sees an affordable city, with good jobs and a balance of businesses. He also offered a valid idea, but one largely out of his control as a council member: A-rated schools.
Overhuls is a bulldog of an anti-establishment candidate, but is not always persuasive or detailed. He likes the idea of a soccer complex, but not on U.S. 1. That area was targeted for shops, restaurants and maybe a hotel, he said, but not a stadium. The plan, however, is the stadium would be built in conjunction with other mixed uses as has been done successfully in other cities.
Norton has experience with the city, other government and has a vision. He gets our nod.
TCPalm’s candidate recommendations are decided collectively by its Editorial Board. Recommendations are based on nonpartisan criteria that prioritize the best candidates for our local community.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Port St Lucie mayor, city council recommendations | Our View
Reporting by Editorial Board, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Editorial Board, Treasure Coast Newspapers | USA TODAY Network
