Let me be blunt with you. Port St. Lucie has a $597 million budget. That's nearly half a billion dollars of your money. And yet, somehow, we still have roads that eat your tires, trash that sits for a week in 90-degree heat, and families struggling under property tax bills that are among the highest in Florida.
Something doesn't add up. 🤔
I've spent 17 years in public service. I've worked with the Sheriff's Office. I've protected our nuclear plant. I've run businesses and raised a family right here in PSL. And I'm telling you—I've seen enough government waste to make your head spin.
But here's the thing: I'm not here to just complain. I'm here to tell you exactly how we find the money that's already there and put it to work for you.
The Real Talk on Our Budget 📊
Let's break down where the money comes from:
- Property Taxes: $99.1 million (49.9% of our general fund)
- Utility Fees: $110.5 million from water/wastewater
- Franchise Taxes: $35 million from utilities and communications
- Grants & Contributions: $134.3 million in mobility fees, impact fees, and developer contributions
That's a lot of cash flowing through City Hall. And I promise you—I promise you—we're not spending every dollar as wisely as we could be.
💡 Here's What I Mean
The city recently revised a transportation budget item from $6.2 million down to $300,000 after discussions with FDOT. That's $5.9 million in one line item that was either inflated, unnecessary, or both. Multiply that kind of oversight across dozens of departments and years of budgets... you get the picture.
Why This Matters (And Not Just to Your Wallet) 💪
Look, I know talking about budgets makes people's eyes glaze over. But stick with me here, because this isn't just about numbers on a spreadsheet.
This is about fairness. When your grandmother on a fixed income pays property taxes that keep going up while her trash sits for a week and her road has potholes—that's not right. When a working family struggles to make ends meet while the city spends money on pet projects and bloated contracts—that's morally wrong.
This is about trust. You elected officials to be good stewards of your money. When we waste it, we break that trust. When we find efficiencies and put savings back into services, we rebuild it.
This is about our future. Every dollar we waste is a dollar that could have hired a police officer, paved a road, or created a youth program. Our kids deserve better than a city that can't manage its checkbook.
My Plan: Seven Ways We Find the Money 🔍
I'm not running for Mayor to maintain the status quo. I'm running to shake things up. Here's exactly how we'll do it:
1. Audit Every Department—No Exceptions 🎯
We're bringing in independent auditors to review every city department. Not the kind of audit that just checks if the math adds up—I mean a real, deep-dive efficiency review. Where are we duplicating efforts? What contracts are outdated? Which positions could be consolidated?
I guarantee we'll find millions in savings just from eliminating redundancies.
2. Zero-Based Budgeting—Justify Every Penny 📝
Right now, most government budgets work on "incremental budgeting"—last year's budget plus a percentage increase. That's how waste becomes permanent.
We're flipping the script. Every department starts at zero and has to justify every single expense. If a program isn't delivering results, it's gone. If a contract costs too much, we renegotiate or rebid.
3. Chase Every Grant Available 🏃♂️
Florida and the federal government offer billions in competitive grants for infrastructure, public safety, and economic development. Are we aggressively pursuing every single one we qualify for? Spoiler alert: we're not.
I'll hire a dedicated grant writer whose job is to bring outside money into PSL. Their salary will pay for itself ten times over.
4. Public-Private Partnerships That Make Sense 🤝
The private sector can often deliver services more efficiently than government. I'm not talking about privatizing everything—I'm talking about smart partnerships. Let businesses compete to provide services, and let the city focus on oversight and accountability.
5. Transparent Spending Dashboard—See Where Every Dollar Goes 📱
You deserve to know exactly how your money is spent. We're creating a public online dashboard—updated in real-time—that shows every city expenditure. Every contract. Every salary. Every purchase.
Sunlight is the best disinfectant. When spending is visible, waste becomes harder to hide.
6. Consolidate Contracts—Use Our Buying Power 💪
Port St. Lucie, St. Lucie County, Fort Pierce, and other local governments all buy similar things—vehicles, equipment, office supplies. Why aren't we negotiating together for better rates?
Collective purchasing power means lower costs for everyone. It's common sense.
7. Performance-Based Contracts—Pay for Results, Not Promises ✅
Too many city contractors get paid regardless of whether they deliver. We're changing that. Every contract gets tied to measurable outcomes. Hit your targets, get paid. Miss them, face penalties or termination.
It's how business works. It's how government should work.
Where the Savings Go (Spoiler: Back to You) 🎁
Here's the beautiful part: every dollar we save doesn't just disappear into some slush fund. It gets reinvested in priorities that make your life better:
- 🛣️ Road repairs—No more potholes eating your tires
- 🗑️ Better trash service—Twice-weekly pickup so your garbage isn't baking in the Florida sun
- 👮 Public safety—Better equipment and training for our first responders
- 🌳 Parks and recreation—More places for families to enjoy
- 👦 Youth programs—Keeping kids engaged and out of trouble
The Bottom Line: Your Money, Your City, Your Future 🇺🇸
I'm not a career politician. I'm a public servant, a businessman, and a dad who happens to think that government should work as hard as the people who pay for it.
When I'm Mayor, I won't just find the money—we'll use it wisely. We'll cut the fat. We'll eliminate waste. We'll stretch every dollar until it screams.
And at the end of the day, you'll have a city that delivers real value for your tax dollars. A city that works for you.
That's not just good politics. That's the right thing to do. 💯
Got ideas on where we can find savings? I want to hear them. Drop me a line at stevengiordanoformayor@aol.com or call me at (772) 812-3930. Let's build a better PSL together.