Fort Pierce is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

St. Lucie County St. Lucie County ( es, Condado de Santa Lucía, link=) is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 329,226. The county's seat is Fort Pierce. St. Lucie County is included in the Port St. Lucie, FL Metro ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, United States. The city is part of the Treasure Coast region of Atlantic Coast Florida. It is also known as the Sunrise City, sister to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, the Sunset City. Per the 2020 census, the population was 47,297.

History

It was named after the

Fort Pierce Fort Pierce is a city in and the county seat of St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Treasure Coast region of Atlantic Coast Florida. It is also known as the Sunrise City, sister to San Francisco, California, the Suns ...

Army post which was built nearby in 1838 during the

Second Seminole War The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans and ...

. The military post had been named for Benjamin Kendrick Pierce, a career

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

officer and the brother of President

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...

. It was the largest city on Florida's Atlantic Coast between

Daytona Beach Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County near the Atlantic coastline, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 census. Daytona Beach is approximately nort ...

and West Palm Beach until 1970 when it was surpassed by

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Geography

According to the

U. S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal Statistical System of the United States, U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the Americans, Ame ...

, the city has a total area of 20.8 mi² (53.8 km²), of which 14.7 square miles (38.2 km²) is land and 6.0 square miles (15.6 km²) of it (35.00%) is water.

Environment

Shore Protection project

According to the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

, The Fort Pierce Beach Shore Protection project includes 1.3 miles of shore line running from immediately south of the

Fort Pierce Inlet Fort Pierce Inlet State Park, a part of the Florida State Parks, Florida State Park system, is located just north of the Fort Pierce Inlet, on North Hutchinson Island, Florida, North Hutchinson Island, near Fort Pierce, Florida, Fort Pierce. It ...

southward to Surfside Park. The project is on a two-year renourishment cycle due to impacts to the beach from the federal navigation project at Fort Pierce Inlet. This two-year renourishment cycle is a much shorter renourishment interval than what is typical for other projects along the east coast of Florida. The initial construction of the project occurred in 1971 and the ninth nourishment was completed in May 2013. Completion of plans and specifications, advertisement and award for the 10th renourishment contract were completed in FY 2014. The project was scheduled to start mid-February 2015.

Sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...

for the project is dredged from an approved offshore borrow area known as the Capron Shoal and then pumped via a pipeline onto the 1.3 miles of beach south of the Fort Pierce Inlet. The sponsor,

, is preparing a General Reevaluation Report (GRR) for the project at their own expense that will evaluate extending Federal participation for an additional 50 years. Current Federal participation expires in 2020. The

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

estimates the total cost of the project to be $75.9 million, with an estimated

U.S. Federal Government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 ...

share of $46.4 million. No funding for the project was requested by the

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

from the U.S. Congress in Fiscal Year 2016.

Ecology

The

Experimental Oculina Research Reserve The Experimental Oculina Research Reserve preserves the Oculina Banks, a reef of ivory bush coral (''Oculina varicosa'') off the coast of Fort Pierce, Florida. ''Oculina varicosa'' is a U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service species of concern. Sp ...

preserves the Oculina Banks, a reef of

ivory bush coral ''Oculina varicosa'', or the ivory bush coral, is a scleractinian deep-water coral primarily found at depths of 70-100m, and ranges from Bermuda and Cape Hatteras to the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. ''Oculina varicosa'' flourishes at the Ex ...

(''Oculina varicosa'') off the coast of Fort Pierce, Florida. In 1984, a 92 square-nautical-mile (316 km²) portion of these reefs was designated the "Oculina Habitat Area of Particular Concern". In 1994, the area was closed to all manner of bottom fishing and was redesignated as a research reserve. In 2000, the

marine protected area Marine protected areas (MPA) are protected areas of seas, oceans, estuaries or in the US, the Great Lakes. These marine areas can come in many forms ranging from wildlife refuges to research facilities. MPAs restrict human activity for a conserv ...

was expanded to 300 square nautical miles (1,030 km²) and prohibited all gears that caused mechanical disruption to the habitat. The city is also known for its large manatee population.

Marina

Due to the devastation caused at the Fort Pierce City Marina by hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in 2004, FEMA mandated a plan to ensure that the rebuilt facility would be protected from future such events before FEMA would release funding for the repairs. Starting in 2012, construction began to create 12 artificial barrier islands including oyster beds, lime rock

artificial reef An artificial reef is a human-created underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom, to control erosion, block ship passage, block the use of trawling nets, or improve surfing. Many re ...

s, mangrove fringes and coastal dune. The "core" of the islands was constructed of TITANTubes, sometimes referred to as

geotextile tube A geotextile tube (also known as a titan tube or geotube) is a large, tube-shaped bag made of porous, weather-resistant geotextile and filled with a sand slurry, to form an artificial coastal structure such as a breakwaters, dune or levee. Geo ...

s or geotubes, manufactured by Flint Industries and covered by a coastal marine mattress and then armor stone. The project was completed in 2013 after six years of planning, permitting and construction and a cost of $18 million.

Climate

Fort Pierce has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

, with hot, humid summers and warm, drier winters.

Demographics

2020 census

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''

2010 Census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 41,910 people, 15,170 households, and 9,418 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 17,170 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 40.9%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 45.3%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.6% Native American, 0.9%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, and 2.7% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

were 21.6% of the population. There were 15,170 households, out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 19.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.50. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 20 to 24, 13.3% from 25 to 34, 13.0% from 45 to 54, 9.8% from 55 to 64 and 6.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,869, and the median income for a family was $36,337. Males had a median income of $32,412 versus $26,349 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $16,782. 30.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

Economy

Fort Pierce Harbor

According to the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

, an average of 350,000 tons of waterborne commerce moves through Fort Pierce Harbor annually. Major commodities which are dependent on the port include

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Lemon, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and lim ...

exports,

cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mix ...

and aragonite imports. The last navigation improvements at

were authorized by the U.S. Congress in the

Water Resources Development Act of 1988 Water Resources Development Act of 1988 (WRDA 1988), , is a public law passed by Congress on November 17, 1988 concerning water resources in the United States in the areas of flood control, navigation, dredging, environment, recreation, water supply ...

dated November 17, 1988 and construction was completed in August 1996. The existing entrance channel is 400 feet wide and 30 feet deep, the interior channel is 250 feet wide and 28 feet deep, the existing turning basin is 1,100 feet square and 28 feet deep, and the north access channel is located immediately north of the main turning basin is 1,250 feet long, 250 feet wide and 28 feet deep. In late 2014 dredging efforts were completed in Fort Pierce Harbor. The dredging effort included both beach placement of beach quality sand on the beach immediately south of the Inlet as well as placement of non beach quality sand in the approved offshore disposal area.

Arts and culture

Tourist attractions

* A.E. Backus Museum and Gallery * Arcade Building * Art Mundo at the Art Bank *

Boston House The Boston House (also known as Cresthaven) is a historic building in downtown Fort Pierce, Florida. It is located at 239 South Indian River Drive ( County Road 707). On April 11, 1985, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Plac ...

* Dust Tracks of Zora Neale Hurston
*

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI, FAU Harbor Branch) is a non-profit oceanographic institution operated by Florida Atlantic University in Fort Pierce, Florida, United States. Founded in 1971 as non-profit research organization, the i ...

Heathcote Botanical Gardens Heathcote Botanical Gardens is a five-acre subtropical botanical garden located at 210 Savannah Road, Fort Pierce, Florida, United States. Heathcote is a non-profit, 501 (C)3 educational foundation that bills itself as the "Green Heart of the Tre ...

* Historic Main Street * Florida Power and Light Energy Encounter * Lincoln Park Main Street *

Old Fort Pierce City Hall Located at 315 Avenue A, the Old Fort Pierce City Hall (also known as the Old City Hall) is a historic building in downtown Fort Pierce, Florida. Designed with both Mediterranean Revival Style and Italian Renaissance Revival elements by architect ...

* Old Fort Park *

Manatee Center Manatees (family Trichechidae, genus ''Trichechus'') are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows. There are three accepted living species of Trichechidae, representing three of the four living species ...

* Navy UDT-SEAL Museum (Fort Pierce was the original home of the

United States Navy SEALs The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting sma ...

) * Smithsonian Marine Ecosystem Exhibit * St. Lucie County Marine Center * St. Lucie County Regional History Center *

Sunrise Theatre The Sunrise Theatre (also known as the Sunrise Building) is a historic theater in Fort Pierce, Florida. It is located at 117 South 2nd Street. History Built in 1923 by builder C.E. Cahow, the Sunrise Theatre was designed in the Mediterranean Re ...

*Havert L. Fenn Center

Government

The city of Fort Pierce has a council–manager government form of local government. The offices of commissioner and mayor are nonpartisan, and have a term of four years.

Education

Colleges and Universities

Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, and satellite campuses in Dania Beach, Florida, Dania Beach, Davie, Florida, Davie, Fort Lauderd ...

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

Medical School Regional Campus * Indian River State College *

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

Indian River Research and Education Center

High Schools

*Faith Baptist School * Fort Pierce Central High School *Fort Pierce Westwood Academy * John Carroll Catholic High School *

Lincoln Park Academy Lincoln Park Academy is a public magnet school located in Fort Pierce, Florida. Commonly referred to as simply "LPA", the school is academically geared, offering Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, dual-enrollment, and pre-engineering ...

Middle Schools

*Dan McCarty Middle School *Forest Grove Middle School *Fort Pierce Magnet School of the Arts *

*Saint Anastasia Middle School *Saint Andrew's Academy *Samuel S. Gaines Academy K-8

Elementary Schools

*Chester A. Moore Elementary School *Fairlawn Elementary School *Fort Pierce Magnet School of the Arts *Francis K. Sweet Elementary School *Lakewood Park Elementary School *Lawnwood Elementary School *Samuel S. Gaines Academy K-8 *Weatherbee Elementary School *White City Elementary School

Infrastructure

Transportation

Fort Pierce is located on U.S. Route 1, near its intersection with

Florida State Road 70 Stretching across the Florida peninsula, State Road 70 (SR 70) spans five Florida counties and straddles the northern boundaries of two more. Its western terminus is at US 41 (14th Street West) south of Bradenton (Manatee County); its eastern ter ...

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...

and

Florida's Turnpike Florida's Turnpike, designated as unsigned State Road 91 (SR 91), is a toll road in the U.S. state of Florida, maintained by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE). Spanning approximately along a northwest–southeast axis, the turnpike is in two s ...

are nearby, at the west edge of town. The Intracoastal Waterway passes through the city. The nearest airport with scheduled passenger service is in

; the closest major airport is in West Palm Beach. The city itself has a general aviation airport,

Treasure Coast International Airport Treasure Coast International Airport is a public airport located three miles (5 km) northwest of the central business district of Fort Pierce, a city in St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. It is owned by the St. Lucie Board of Count ...

. Fort Pierce is served by the St. Lucie Transportation Planning Organization (TPO). The TPO is a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), a federally mandated and federally funded transportation policy-making organization responsible for transportation planning, programming, and financing of State and Federal transportation funds for the City of Fort Pierce. The TPO is governed by a TPO Board, which is composed of elected officials, representatives from the St. Lucie County School Board, and representatives from Community Transit, a division of The Council on Aging of St. Lucie, Inc. The original bus system started as a demand response service bus in the 1990s; it only served St. Lucie County. Soon it expanded to a fixed route system, going to predetermined locations along a route. On June 3, 2002, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) approved funding, expanding the bus service to Martin County, and it became the Treasure Coast Connector. From 1894 to 1968 the

Florida East Coast Railway The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida, currently owned by Grupo México. Built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the FEC was a pr ...

served the city as a passenger railroad. Until a strike beginning in 1963, several long distance passenger trains from Chicago, Cincinnati and New York City made stops there, en route to

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. These long distances trains included the

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also co ...

's ''

City of Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at t ...

'' and the

Louisville & Nashville Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of the ...

's ''

South Wind A south wind is a wind that originates in the south and blows in a northward direction. Words used in English to describe the south wind are auster, buster (a violent south gale), föhn/foehn (alps), ghibli (Libya with various spellings), friagem ...

'' both heading from Chicago; and they included the

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967 it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast L ...

's '' East Coast Champion,'' the ''Havana Special,'' and the winter-only ''

Florida Special ''Florida Special'' is a 1936 American comedy film directed by Ralph Murphy and written by David Boehm, Marguerite Roberts, Laura Perelman and S. J. Perelman. The film stars Jack Oakie, Sally Eilers, Kent Taylor, Frances Drake, Claude Gillingwat ...

'' originating from New York. Into the latter 1950s, passengers could take the '' Dixie Flagler'' to Chicago via

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

from the station. The FEC continued a six day a week Jacksonville-Miami train from 1965 to 1968, per court order.

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

and the Florida East Coast Railway have been planning to make stations along Florida's East Coast. The latter operations would be part of the second phase of the private Brightline

inter-city rail Inter-city rail services are express passenger train services that run services that connect cities over longer distances than commuter or regional trains. There is no precise definition of inter-city rail; its meaning may vary from country ...

project. The cities cited by Amtrak and the Florida Department of Transportation include:

Stuart Stuart may refer to: Names * Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name) Automobile *Stuart (automobile) Places Australia Generally *Stuart Highway, connecting South Australia and the Northern Territory Northe ...

, Fort Pierce, Vero Beach,

, Titusville,

Cocoa Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter and ...

and

St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine ( ; es, San Agustín ) is a city in the Southeastern United States and the county seat of St. Johns County on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, it is the oldest continuously inhabit ...

. In 2018, Brightline announced that it was looking at downtown properties for a site for a new station for the train between Fort Pierce and Miami. Ultimately, the northwestern terminus would be Orlando, with service beginning in 2021.

Notable people

Actors

* Ricou Browning, director, actor, producer, screenwriter, underwater cinematographer and stuntman best known for portraying Gill-Man underwater in Universal's '' Creature from the Black Lagoon'' (1954) and its two sequels '' Revenge of the Creature'' (1955), and '' The Creature Walks Among Us'' (1956) * Michael P. Nash, Filmmaker *

Lisa Janti Lisa Janti (born July 5, 1933), known as Lisa Montell when performing as a Hollywood actress of the 1950–60s, later shifted her career to one of advocacy and service to various disadvantaged groups and to her adopted religion, the Baháʼí Fa ...

, actress, The Lone Ranger and the City of Gold; Pearl of the South Pacific.

Businesspeople

Edwin Binney Edwin Binney (November 24, 1866 – December 17, 1934) was an American entrepreneur and inventor, who created the first dustless white chalk, and along with his cousin C. Harold Smith (born London, 1860 - died, 1931), was the founder of handicraft ...

, co-founder of Crayola Crayons

Writers and artists

* A.E. "Beanie" Backus, artist and painter *

Zora Neale Hurston Zora Neale Hurston (January 7, 1891 – January 28, 1960) was an American author, anthropologist, and filmmaker. She portrayed racial struggles in the early-1900s American South and published research on Hoodoo (spirituality), hoodoo. The most ...

, author best known for the novel ''

Their Eyes Were Watching God ''Their Eyes Were Watching God'' is a 1937 novel by American writer Zora Neale Hurston. It is considered a classic of the Harlem Renaissance, and Hurston's best known work. The novel explores main character Janie Crawford's "ripening from a vib ...

Musicians

Ted Hewitt Ted Hewitt is an American country music producer, songwriter, singer, and musician who has written and performed songs for numerous acts including Rodney Atkins, Tracy Byrd, Glen Campbell, Reba McEntire, and others. He co-produced Atkins' 2006 ...

, country music producer- produces Country Music artist Rodney Atkins * Gary Stewart, country singer

Politicians

Mark Foley Mark Adam Foley (born September 8, 1954) is an American former politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives. He served from 1995 until 2006, representing the 16th District of Florida as a member of the Republic ...

, former U.S. Congressman *

Daniel T. McCarty Daniel Thomas McCarty (January 18, 1912 – September 28, 1953) was an American politician who served in the Florida House of Representatives and served as its speaker. He briefly served as the 31st Governor of Florida from January 6, 1953 unt ...

, 31st Governor of Florida * Allen R. Sturtevant, Associate Justice of the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The Court ...

Activists

* Roslyn M. Brock, Chairman of the

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. ...

Sports

Jeff Blackshear Jeffrey Leon Blackshear (March 29, 1969 – August 31, 2019) was an American football guard who played nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay ...

, NFL guard for the Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers *

Jamar Chaney Jamar Antwon Chaney (born October 11, 1986) is a former American football linebacker who is currently a part of the Florida Gators coaching staff. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played ...

, NFL linebacker *

Yamon Figurs Yamon Figurs (born January 10, 1983) is a former gridiron football wide receiver and return specialist. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Kansas State. Figurs was als ...

, NFL and CFL wide receiver * Charles Johnson, Former MLB catcher for the Florida Marlins,

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

and

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

* Ladislav Karabin, retired

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

n hockey player, who played for the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

Khalil Mack Khalil Delshon Mack (; born February 22, 1991) is an American football outside linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Buffalo, and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders with the ...

, NFL linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers *

Terry McGriff Terence Roy McGriff (born September 23, 1963) is an American former professional baseball player who played for the Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros, Florida Marlins, and St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Career He was drafted by ...

, MLB catcher for the Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros, Florida Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals * Ryan McNeil, NFL defensive back *

Wonder Monds Wonderful Terrific Monds Jr. (born May 3, 1952) is a former American football defensive back who played one season with the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). His unusual name was originally given to his father when, after ...

, NFL defensive back *

Luther Robinson Luther Robinson (born February 24, 1991) is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He played college football at the University of Miami and attended Fort Pierce Westwood High School in Fort Pierce, Florida. He has be ...

, NFL defensive end * Larry Sanders, Former NBA player for the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

and

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

Jeff Schwarz Jeffrey William Schwarz (born May 20, 1964) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Early life and family Schwarz was born in Fort Pierce, Florida, and graduated from Fort Pierce Central High School in Fort Pierce. Schwarz has four ...

, Former MLB pitcher for the

and

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

* Herbert Strong, professional golfer and golf course architect *

LaDaris Vann LaDaris Tremaine Vann (born October 7, 1980) is a former American football wide receiver in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He was also a member of the Frankfurt Galaxy in NFL Europe. He played college football ...

, Former

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

player for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Other

Kimberly Bergalis Kimberly Ann Bergalis (January 19, 1968 – December 8, 1991) was an American woman who was one of six patients purportedly infected with HIV by dentist David J. Acer, who was infected with HIV and died of AIDS on September 3, 1990.Lambert, ...

, victim of first known case of clinical transmission of HIV *

Louise Gopher Louise Jones Gopher is the second Seminole (after Billy Cypress) and the first woman from the Seminole tribe of Florida to earn a bachelor's degree. Gopher, a former director of education for the Seminole Tribe of Florida, was the first female Semin ...

, the first Seminole woman to earn a bachelor's degree *

John Houghtaling John Joseph Houghtaling (pronounced HUFF-tay-ling; November 14, 1916 – June 17, 2009) was an American entrepreneur and inventor who in 1958 invented the Magic Fingers Vibrating Bed, a common feature in mid-priced hotels and motels from the 1 ...

, creator of the Magic Fingers Vibrating Bed *

CeeCee Lyles United Airlines Flight 93 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight that was hijacked by four al-Qaeda attackers aboard the plane on the morning of September 11, 2001, as part of the September 11 attacks. The plane eventually crashed in Som ...

, Flight attendant on United Airlines Flight 93

References

External links

Official City of Fort Pierce website

Virtual view of the City of Fort Pierce
{{authority control County seats in Florida Cities in St. Lucie County, Florida Fort P Populated coastal places in Florida on the Atlantic Ocean Cities in Florida