In an effort to address immediate and future housing needs, the St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners, along with the cities of Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie, have partnered to hire Thomas P. Miller and Associates to undertake a year-long process of conducting a Housing Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan.
Thomas P. Miller and Associates staff will work with local government staff to analyze historic and current housing market data during the winter months, followed by a series of engagement sessions for the public and stakeholders to provide feedback during the spring months.
“We are excited to work with St. Lucie County, along with the cities of Port Saint Lucie and Fort Pierce, to identify and address needs relating to workforce housing. As the county continues to grow and develop, this housing needs assessment and implementation plan will seek to ensure stability for local economies and for the working families who are critical to the long-term success of the region. Together we will help the county recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and focus on the county’s economic resilience moving forward,” said Aaron Finley, economic development senior consultant and project lead for Thomas P. Miller and Associates.
Florida continues to be one of the fastest growing states in the nation, with St. Lucie -County being one of the fastest growing counties. According to the most recent estimates from the Office of Economic and Demographic Research, there are 350,518 people living in St. Lucie County and it’s projected to increase to 403,213 by 2030, 450,961 by 2040 and 486,932 by 2050.
The St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners, along with the cities of Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie, has been focused on creating more economic opportunities for these new residents with large-scale manufacturing and distribution companies relocating here such as Chaney Brothers, Amazon and Tamco. However, the challenges have been trying to address the housing needs of those workers and making sure there is a variety of housing available for all residents.
The goal at the end of this year-long process is to create an implementation plan using the data found in the needs assessment to make data-driven decisions that encourage and incentivize the creation of workforce housing.
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