New park dedicated to first responders and veterans breaks ground in Florida

By Jossie Carbonare

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    PORT ST. LUCIE, Florida (WPBF) — A park honoring our veterans and first responders is in the works in Tradition.

It’s called Stars and Stripes Park and will be located along Southwest Village Parkway.

On Thursday, city leaders in Port St. Lucie and developers from Mattamy Homes celebrated in a groundbreaking ceremony.

They presented a unique art installation that will eventually be on display at the 26-acre park once completed.

“This is so exciting. We are on our path of developing and opening several parks throughout the city, and this is just another example of the hard work we have been working on to make sure our residents have great quality of life providing parks and, specifically in this park, some passive recreation and opportunity for reflection and unity in our community,” Mayor Shannon Martin, Port St. Lucie, said.

The installation will feature a flag and quotes from veterans with stars and shapes that will illuminate at night, putting a spotlight on the solar system around us.

“Parks like this will serve as another spot of remembrance for our military and first responders. It will also provide a place where we can share with our kids and grandkids the history and tell stories,” Christopher Barnes, veteran and deputy director at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, compensation and pension product line, said.

Mattamy Homes says they’ve been working with city leaders for the last three years and doing a lot of community outreach.

“We don’t want to just build homes. We want to build communities and we want to give back to those communities and make sure we left places better than how we found them,” Dan Grosswald, president at Mattamy Homes, Southeast Florida division, said.

The Stars and Stripes Park is set to open sometime in early 2025.

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