Placement: Consent Agenda
Action Requested: Motion / Vote
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Approve a Grant Agreement between the City of Port St. Lucie and the Trust for Public Land for the Purpose of Supporting Resident Engagement in Neighborhood Green Space
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Submitted By: Almartha Barrett, Grant Coordinator and Sabrina McLeod, Grants & Strategic Initiatives Project Manager, City Manager's Office
Strategic Plan Link: The City's Goal to enjoy culture, nature and fun activities.
Summary Brief (Agreements/Contracts only)
1. Prepared by: The Trust for Public Land
2. Parties: City of Port St. Lucie and The Trust for Public Land
3. Purpose: Grant agreement required to enable the Trust for Public Land to complete its obligations under its grant through the On Common Ground program.
4. New/Renewal/Modified: New
5. Duration: June 26, 2025, through May 31, 2026
6. Benefits to Port St. Lucie: This grant will help create an engagement model for resident input on green space needs and will provide a structured, replicable way for residents to shape how green space is delivered in their neighborhoods as the City continues to prioritize increasing access to green space and parks.
7. Cost to Port St. Lucie (Annual and Potential): Staff time to support grant implementation.
Presentation Information: N/A
Staff Recommendation: Move that the Council authorize the City Manager to execute the grant agreement, indicating acceptance of the grant agreement by the City Manager.
Background: On May 30, 2025, the Trust for Public Land’s announced that City of Port St. Lucie will receive an On Common Ground Grant to fund Conservation Corps Greenspace Ambassadors, a resident-driven Park Stewardship program that brings together small, diverse cohorts of residents to help activate underutilized green spaces in Port St. Lucie’s most park-deficient neighborhoods. Over the course of six to eight weekly sessions, participants will engage in walking audits, storytelling, environmental learning, and co-design workshops to envision and shape the future of City-owned green spaces.
The program directly builds on the City’s Naturally PSL initiative, which engaged thousands of residents to prioritize green space access and identified extensive underutilized parcels that could serve as future public spaces. With rapid growth, limited public land, and the lack of a centralized system for public spaces and services, Port St. Lucie must be creative in reimagining its landscape with community needs and context.
This pilot program creates a framework for resident-led stewardship, serving as a foundation for a neighborhood-scale advisory model that does not currently exist in the community. Port St. Lucie is a young city with 60 years of history; while other cities have formal Park Advisory Boards, there is no local mechanism for regular, place-based resident input on green space needs. This program could fill a critical gap by offering a structured, replicable way for residents to shape neighborhood green space as the City continues to prioritize increasing access to green space and parks.
Issues/Analysis: N/A
Financial Information: TPL shall grant the City $25,000, which shall be disbursed upon execution of the Agreement
Special Consideration: N/A
Location of Project: N/A
Attachments: Agreement
NOTE: All of the listed items in the “Attachment” section above are in the custody of the City Clerk. Any item(s) not provided in City Council packets are available upon request from the City Clerk.
Internal Reference Number: 25160-05
Legal Sufficiency Review:
Reviewed by Russell Ward, Deputy City Attorney. Approved as to Legal form and sufficiency by Richard Berrios, City Attorney.