Kathy Johanson, Realtor, Illustrated Properties LLC

02/06/2026

Recent freezing weather can damage plants in our landscapes, but not all damage is permanent. Some plants may look worse before they get better. The steps below explain what homeowners should do after a freeze to help plants recover and avoid causing more damage.

DO THIS
Check Water Needs
• Cold, windy weather can dry plants out
• Water plants to help thaw soil and rehydrate roots
• Container plants may need extra attention
Be Patient
• Some cold damage shows up days or weeks later
• New spring growth will show what’s truly alive

DON’T DO THIS YET
Don’t Rush Pruning
• Avoid heavy pruning right after a freeze. Cold stratify seeds before planting
• Cutting too early can remove living tissue and stimulate vulnerable new growth
Don’t Fertilize
• Wait until warmer weather and active growth return

WHEN YOU DO PRUNE
• Scratch the bark lightly with a fingernail
• Green = alive
• Brown/black = dead
• Prune back only to healthy tissue
• Dead, brown leaves can be removed once fully dry

LAWNS
• Brown turf after a freeze is often normal dormancy
• Avoid fertilizing until spring green-up

To learn more about how to protect plants in cold weather, please visit: https://ow.ly/OqY750Y8ceq

UF IFAS Extension St. Lucie County St. Lucie County Master Gardener Volunteers

01/26/2026

Portability in Florida refers to the ability of a property owner to transfer some or all of their Save Our Homes benefit from a previous homestead to a newly established homestead. The Save Our Homes benefit is the difference between the market value and the assessed value. The amount is transferred either in its entirety or as a percentage, depending on the value of the new property. The maximum transfer amount is $500,000.

We welcome you to visit https://www.paslc.gov/214/Homestead-Portability to learn more about Portability.

01/16/2026

This is going to be a great place once completed. If you have not been to The Port District and Botanical Gardens in Port St Lucie, you are missing out on a great family friendly venue

Big changes are coming to the St. Lucie Riverfront
A brand-new waterfront dining hub called The Grove is set to open in Port St. Lucie, with a targeted soft launch in December 2026 — bringing five new restaurants right to the edge of the river. The lineup includes:

🍽️ Salt River – rooftop dining with coastal cuisine
🍕 Italian Disco – retro-style pizza, bar, and energy
🍱 Kannon – sushi, bento boxes & Japanese flair
🍹 The Grove Bar – craft cocktails and local brews
🌴 Tequi Bar – tiki vibes with a tequila twist

This is Phase One of The Port District’s transformation into a lively, waterfront destination on the Treasure Coast.

11/25/2025

11/24/2025

11/20/2025

🎄⛄️🏘️✝️🧑🏻‍🎄🎅🏼

09/13/2025

This👇👇👇

Every seller's formula:

Purchase price + renovation costs + emotional attachment + financial needs = asking price.

The market's formula: What similar houses sold for last week.

These numbers rarely match, and guess which one wins?

Your kitchen renovation cost $80k.

Beautiful work. Italian marble, professional grade appliances.

The market values it at $30k over the house with the dated kitchen.

That's a $50k education in the difference between cost and value.

The couple relocating for work needs $450k to buy their next house.

Their house is worth $425k.

The market doesn't care about their job transfer.

The buyer doesn't care about their next mortgage.

Value isn't determined by your circumstances.

This isn't cruelty. It's clarity.

The market is just thousands of buyers with their own needs, their own budgets, their own options.

They're not calculating what you need. They're calculating what they'll pay.

The sellers who understand this price accordingly and sell quickly.

The ones who don't become cautionary tales, their listings growing stale while they argue with reality.

Your house tells your story.

But buyers are writing their own.

03/31/2025

Nice park coming St Lucie County’s way!
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Shops, hotels, restaurants, and 1,100 new homes—all centered around Wavegarden Cove, a cutting-edge surf lagoon capable of producing 450 waves per hour.

02/28/2025

Think about friends. What would you rather do, spend foolishly, or carefully? Take a moment today to sit down and right down everything you purchase in one day. Things you don’t really need. Due it for a week, then total it up and start saving that amount of money for 6 months to a year. You would be amazed at how much money you could save for that dream home you’ve been longing for.

02/13/2025

On yesterday’s mid-season assessment call, the army corps provided an update on the South Florida ecosystem, including Lake Okeechobee. ⁠
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The recent hot and dry weather has allowed the lake to gradually recede over the past few months, and the forecast appears to show a continuation of that trend, which is a good thing for lowering the lake to prepare for rainy season and to create better conditions for submerged aquatic vegetation to recover.⁠
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They discussed various options for scaling back coastal discharges, however, they didn’t commit to a timeline for when we could see relief from the discharges. ⁠
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They received feedback from stakeholders across the system, including overwhelming red tide concerns from the west coast and concerns over damaging flows to the east coast.⁠
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The corps is going to incorporate that feedback into their decision making for their discharge schedule, but again, no clear timeline was established.⁠
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These ongoing discharges are a reminder of why we need critical projects like the EAA Reservoir online—so we can send more clean water south from Lake Okeechobee instead of sending it to our coastal estuaries.⁠
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If we had the EAA reservoir online right now, we might likely not be having this conversation at all.⁠
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We’ve shared this map before, but it's a clear representation of how the Everglades’ natural flow has been altered and why restoration is so important. ⁠
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We MUST continue advancing critical projects that will reduce harmful discharges and restore the natural flow south.⁠
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Hopefully, a decision will be made soon—stay tuned for updates.

02/06/2025

A HUGE congratulations to these young women!

01/31/2025

The best places to go for breakfast in Port St. Lucie serve delicious meals to start the day. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and Port