The Current by TreasureCoast.com

Blue Collar Big Dollar joins The Current to talk about the construction skills gap on the Treasure Coast and why far more tradespeople are retiring than entering the field. A program of the Treasure Coast Builders Association Charitable Foundation, the organization runs hands-on training, school programs, and career events across the region. The conversation walks through the pathways into a trade...

Dan Toback runs two things that give him an unusual read on St. Lucie County: SLC Scanner, a community news page with more than 165,000 followers, and a Port St. Lucie home-buying business he has operated for about 15 years. He joins The Current to explain how the page sources and verifies community-submitted news, and what he's seeing in the local housing market. Toback discusses rising foreclosu...

Congressman Byron Donalds, who represents Southwest Florida and is running for governor, joins The Current to lay out his platform. He explains why he supports Amendment 3 and details five specific insurance reforms he would pursue, including changes to the state catastrophe fund, restructuring home hardening programs, and creating an insurance scorecard so consumers can review a carrier's claims...

Adam Baldwin, chief marketing officer of Operation 300, joins The Current to talk about the organization his family founded after losing Navy SEAL Aaron Vaughn in the Extortion 17 shootdown in 2011. Operation 300 flies children who have lost a parent in military or law enforcement service to Camp Valor in Stuart, pairing them with volunteer mentors for adventure camps at no cost to the family. Bal...

Anthony Bonna, a Port St. Lucie city councilman running for the Florida House of Representatives, joins The Current to talk about what he learned in local government and what he would bring to Tallahassee. He describes growing up in Port St. Lucie raised by a single mother, the community organizations that helped shape his path, and why he returned home to serve. Bonna discusses the city's record...

Adam Majtyka, executive director of the Treasure Coast Wildlife Center in Palm City, joins The Current to talk about the roughly 3,200 animals the center takes in each year. Founded in 1974, the nonprofit rehabilitates injured, ill, and orphaned wildlife from across the Treasure Coast and surrounding region. Majtyka explains the most common reasons animals arrive, from vehicle collisions to injuri...

Knight Kiplinger, whose family has been part of Martin County civic and business life for 75 years, joins The Current to tell the origin story of Newfield, the 3,400-acre community taking shape in Palm City. He conceived the project more than eight years ago on family land that had been a citrus grove until greening blight ended the operation, and he describes the years he spent meeting with resid...

Niki Desjardin, co-president and co-owner of Ecological Associates in Jensen Beach, joins The Current to talk about the shorebirds most people walk right past at the beach. She explains which species nest on the Treasure Coast, why some birds have adapted to nesting on gravel rooftops, and the simple habits beachgoers can adopt to avoid disturbing camouflaged nests during breeding season. Desjardi...

Bobby Williams, a third-generation Floridian, business owner, and pastor running in the 2026 Republican primary for Florida governor, joins The Current to lay out his campaign. He describes founding the Freedom Tour disaster relief nonprofit in 2016, coordinating food and supply logistics across the state during COVID and after major storms, and why he believes that experience prepares him to run...

Eula Clarke has served on the Stuart City Commission since 2011, and she joins The Current to discuss her run for reelection to Group 5. A local attorney and urban planner, Clarke talks through how Stuart and Martin County have changed since she arrived in the 1980s, how the city manages growth and traffic as a nearly built-out community, and why she says the city's role in housing affordability i...

James Fishback is running for Florida governor in the 2026 Republican primary on a platform of stopping data center development, eliminating property taxes for Florida residents, and lowering insurance costs. The South Florida native and business owner joins The Current to lay out his plans, including down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers, limits on institutional home buyers, deregulat...

Wayne Richter, a Palm City attorney and 24-year Martin County resident, joins The Current to talk about his run for Florida House District 85, which covers parts of Martin and St. Lucie counties. He discusses what he's hearing most from voters, the cost of health insurance, property insurance, and housing, along with concerns about overdevelopment changing the character of the Treasure Coast. Rich...

Dayne Oldenborg, a Stuart native and online content creator known as Yacht Papi Dayne for his street-legal "boat car," is running for the Group 5 seat on the Stuart City Commission. In this episode, he discusses what prompted him to run, his support for allowing backyard chickens with reasonable regulations, and his priorities around growth, the environment, and representing East Stuart. Oldenborg...

Sarah Heard, who has served on the Martin County Commission for 23 years and lived in the county for 37, is running for reelection to the District 4 seat. In this episode, she discusses how growth pressures have changed since the pandemic, her position on the upcoming property tax referendum, and how the county's comprehensive plan guides development decisions. Heard also covers Live Local Act dev...

Port St. Lucie Mayor Shannon Martin, who has served as mayor for the past five years and on the city council since 2010, joins the show for a third time to discuss how the city's priorities have shifted amid rapid population growth. She covers upcoming road and intersection projects, economic development around Walton Road and US 1, and the city's approach to public safety technology. Martin also...

Derreck Ogden, a small business owner and single father running for Stuart City Commissioner Group 3, sits down to talk about slow growth, the future of the Sailfish Park ballfields, and his plan to make city government more transparent. He shares why he thinks development pressure is likely to move into East Stuart next, why he believes current affordable housing rules aren't working as intended,...

Susan O'Rourke, a longtime engineer and Martin County resident, is running for the District 2 seat on the Martin County Commission. In this episode, she discusses her background running her own engineering businesses, what prompted her to enter the race, and her priorities around water quality, affordability, homelessness, and road safety. O'Rourke also covers her ideas for improving public transi...

Chris Collins, who spent the last four years as a City of Stuart Commissioner and mayor, is now running for Martin County Commission. In this episode, he discusses why he believes the county is where the next major growth battles will happen, how large land use decisions get made, and what he means by slow growth at both the city and county level. Collins also covers his position on property tax r...

Steven Giordano, a local business owner and long-time Port St. Lucie resident, is running for mayor. In this episode, he discusses his background with the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office and later in nuclear plant security, what prompted him to run, and his views on traffic safety, growth, and government transparency. Giordano also covers his ideas for a local homeless shelter, a new trade schoo...

John Dial, a longtime yacht broker and marine industry business owner, is running for the District 4 seat on the Martin County Commission. In this episode, he discusses his background in the boating industry, what prompted him to enter the race, and his views on managed growth, workforce housing, and government transparency. Dial also discusses the debate over Port Salerno's commercial fishing doc...

Bernard Taylor, a fourth-generation Floridian and working firefighter and paramedic, is running for the Democratic nomination in Florida's 21st Congressional District, which covers all of St. Lucie County, all of Martin County, and northern Palm Beach County. In this episode, he discusses how his work in emergency medicine shaped his views on health care, his plan to limit corporate purchases of s...

Althea Wiley, a 60 year resident of Martin County and longtime community advocate, is running for the county commission's District 2 seat. In this episode, she discusses her background as a private chef, restaurant owner, and Realtor, how years of helping neighbors navigate local government led her to run for office, and her approach to affordable housing, growth, and government transparency. Wile...

Merritt Matheson, a former Stuart city commissioner and founder of Martin County Forever, is running again for a seat on the Stuart City Commission. In this episode, he discusses how state legislation has reduced local control over growth, his background as a fishing guide and advocate on water quality, and his push to bring dedicated conservation funding to the City of Stuart. Matheson also talks...

Eric Strazzeri, a retired combat veteran and former corporate cybersecurity leader, is running for Mayor of Port St. Lucie. In this episode, he discusses what prompted him to run and shares his views on the city's growth, infrastructure, and spending priorities. Strazzeri explains his opposition to the city's minor league soccer stadium project, his support for redirecting red light and license pl...

Will Laughlin, a 33-year resident of Stuart, is running for the Group 1 seat on the Stuart City Commission. A former school teacher who later moved into investment management, Laughlin discusses what prompted him to run, including concerns about state legislation reducing local control over development decisions. In this episode, Laughlin shares his views on smart growth for downtown Stuart, acces...