Has the recent violence hurt Fort Pierce businesses?

FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A Fort Pierce business owner is reaching out to WPTV for help, saying recent crimes in the area are not only affecting public safety, but also the downtown economy.

Fort Pierce Police Chief Diane Hobley Barney reported that there were 11 shootings in Fort Pierce in May and one in June.

We have reported at least 10 accidents that have resulted in at least 10 injuries, including multiple victims under the age of 18, and four deaths.

While WPTV reporters have been raising residents’ safety concerns in recent weeks and pushing lawmakers for solutions, business owner Priscilla Speicher says it’s her business and others that are now suffering.

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“I contacted your news channel because I’ve seen a significant drop in business downtown,” Speicher said. “It’s literally the word ghost town during the week. It really is a ghost town.”

Speicher said sales are always a little lower during the off-season summer months, but sales from May to June this year were down 22 percent compared to last year, and according to a recent Downtown Business Alliance meeting, sales are down 24 percent.

She said friends have expressed concern about shopping downtown because of the recent shootings and she believes the recent violence has contributed to the decline in foot traffic.

“It was such a concern to me that I felt like someone needed to raise the white flag and say, ‘We need to do something about it,'” Speicher said.

“We’re pleased to announce that we’re in the process of building a community that is ready to move forward,” said St. Lucie County Commissioner Chris Zadowski, who represents the Fort Pierce area. I got emotional He expressed the same concerns a few weeks ago.

“I love Fort Pierce, I love this county, I want this city to be the best place it can be, and when something like this happens, it allows outsiders to look into our community and make judgments,” Zadowsky said June 11. “This is wrong.”

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WPTV reporter Kate Hussey took up Zadowsky and Speicher’s concerns and dug deeper into the data to find the truth.

We analyzed Fort Pierce shooting incident data from the National Gun Violence Archive and compared it to incident data from major cities in the region.

Over the past five years, there have been 143 shootings in Fort Pierce, a city with a population of 47,297, for a rate of 302 shootings per 100 people.

By comparison, Port St. Lucie, population 204,851, has had 86 shootings in the past five years, a rate of 42 per 100 people.

• Miami, with a population of 442,241, saw 964 shootings, a rate of 218 shootings per 100 people.
• Fort Lauderdale, population 183,146, saw 501 shootings, a rate of 274 per 100 people.
• West Palm Beach, population 117,415, had 283 shootings, a rate of 241 per 100 people.

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They found that while Fort Pierce had a higher rate of gun violence than other major cities, most of those shootings occurred in the same areas of the city, not downtown or near major business districts.

The same was true for 12 recent shootings that occurred in May and June.

The report also found that shootings have not increased over the past four years, and in fact have decreased slightly from 26 last year to 25 last year.

“At the end of the day, downtown Fort Pierce and the city as a whole is a safe place,” Zadowski said. “Every city, every county has stories like that, but the city and county elected officials have worked together and recognized that there are going to be some negative connotations, but they’re working to make it better by lowering the tax rate, and they have volunteers coming out to clean up the streets.”

“The situation was really bad in late May, but we’ve got it under control because we can’t allow that negative perception to continue,” Fort Pierce Mayor Linda Hudson said.

She appeared at WPTV’s “Let’s Hear It” event to address the concerns and said the city is stepping up security and patrols not just downtown but throughout the city.

She and Zadowsky said they also want to promote the shops, restaurants, live music and artwork that have given Fort Pierce its nickname “Little Austin.”

“Look around you. Look at this beautiful work of art. Look at this beautiful parking lot,” Zadowsky said.

“We really have a lot to offer the public,” Speicher added. “We’re thrilled that your news station is interested, because we want people to come to Fort Pierce, we want them to be invited, we want them to feel safe.”

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WPTV also invited Police Chief Diane Hobley Barney to the “Let’s Hear It” event to engage with the community, but she did not respond.

Both Hudson and Zadowsky said they continue to seek solutions to address the recent violent incidents and have a number of events planned to help boost tourism downtown.

On July 20, the city will be relaunching its Christmas in July event. Check in at Notions & Potions from 10am to receive a raffle ticket for each hourly drawing, starting at 1pm.

Visitors can dress up in holiday attire, take selfies with store logos in the background and win additional tickets to enter a grand prize giveaway that includes more than $1,200 in gift certificates from downtown businesses.

Check it out below: St. Lucie County launches ‘locals only’ tourism campaign

St. Lucie County tourism campaign targets locals

In a further effort to boost tourism, the St. Lucie Tourism Board has launched a new initiative called “Locals Only” to increase community involvement in Fort Pierce and St. Lucie County.

The initiative is designed to foster deeper connections with the local community, especially new residents, by providing an extra incentive to enjoy and explore the great attractions and accommodations St. Lucie County has to offer.

From discounted stays at seaside hotels to specials at local attractions, all offers are timed to generate demand when it’s needed most, such as during the week.

Tourism Marketing Director Charlotte Byerly said the initiative was planned long before the recent decline in revenue, but they want to show locals the beauty of St. Lucie and Fort Pierce.

“There are a lot of different reasons why we wanted to do this, but at the end of the day, we’re looking to bring business to local hotels and small businesses. That’s our mission,” Birely said.

Click here to take advantage of these great offers.