FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A Fort Pierce business owner is reaching out to WPTV for help, saying recent crime in the area isn't just affecting public safety, but the downtown economy as well.
Fort Pierce Police Chief Diane Hobley-Burney reported that 11 shootings occurred in Fort Pierce in May and one in June.
We've reported on at least 10 of those, resulting in at least 10 injuries and four fatalities involving multiple victims under the age of 18.
WPTV reporters have been elevating resident concerns about safety and pressing elected officials for solutions for weeks now, but business owner Priscilla Speicher said it is now her business and others that are suffering.
"I reached out to your news channel because we have seen such a significant drop in business in the downtown," Speicher said. "Literally, during the week, people use the word ghost town. It is a ghost town."
Speicher said during the summer, off-season months business is always a bit bare, but said her numbers this May-June compared to last are down by 22%, and said according to a recent Downtown Business Alliance meeting, business is down by as much as 24%.
She said her own friends expressed concern about shopping downtown because of recent shootings, leading her to believe the violence as of late is contributing to the increased lack in foot traffic.
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"It was just so concerning to me that I felt like someone needed to raise a white flag and say, 'something needs to be done,'" Speicher said.
St. Lucie County Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky, whose district is Fort Pierce, got emotional voicing those same concerns a few weeks ago.
"I love Fort Pierce, and I love this county, and I want it to be the best it can be, and when stuff like this happens you have outside folks looking in and making judgments about our community," Dzadovsky said June 11. "It's just not right."
WPTV reporter Kate Hussey took both Dzadovsky and Speicher's concerns and dug deeper through data to find the truth.
We analyzed Fort Pierce shooting data from the National Gun Violence archive and compared it to major cities in the area.
We found in the past five years, Fort Pierce, a population of 47,297, has had 143 shootings, a rate of 302 shootings per 100 people.
In comparison, Port St. Lucie, which has a population of 204,851, has had 86 shootings in the past five years, a rate of 42 shootings per 100 people.
- Miami, a population of 442,241, had 964 shootings, or a shooting rate of 218 shootings per 100 people
- Fort Lauderdale, with its population of 183,146, had 501 shootings, a rate of 274 shootings per 100 people
- West Palm Beach, with its population of 117,415, had 283 shootings, a rate of 241 shootings per 100 people
While Fort Pierce's rate of gun violence was larger than the other major cities, we found most of those shootings occurred in the same quadrant of the city, which wasn't near downtown or major business areas.
That was also the case for the 12 recent shootings that occurred in May and June.
We also found that shootings haven't increased in the past four years, in fact, shootings slightly dropped from 26 the previous year compared to 25 this past year.
"At the end of the day, downtown Fort Pierce and the entire city is a safe place to be," Dzadovsky said. "There are going to be those instances in any city, in any county. But I can tell you that the elected officials both in the city and the county have pulled together and we realize that negative connotation can affect us somewhat. But we are on the move to make things better by lowering our millage rates, we have volunteers that come clean the streets."
"This was a really bad situation in late May and we are getting a handle on it, because you can't let that negative perception hang out there," Fort Pierce Mayor Linda Hudson said.
She came out to WPTV's "Let's Hear It" event to address the concern and said the city has increased security and patrols downtown as well as throughout the city.
Both she and Dzadovsky also said they're focused on advertising the shops, restaurants, live music and artwork that gives Fort Pierce its "Little Austin" nickname.
"Look around. Look at this beautiful art piece. Look at this beautiful parking garage," Dzadovsky said.
"We have a lot to offer the public, we really do," added Speicher, "And I'm just thrilled that your news channel cares because we do want people to come to Fort Pierce, we want to invite them, we want them to feel safe."
WPTV also invited Police Chief Diane Hobley-Burney to our "Let's Hear It" event to interact with the community but she did not respond.
Both Hudson and Dzadovsky said they are continuing to work on solutions to address the recent violence, and there are lots of upcoming events to help boost tourism downtown.
On July 20, the city is bringing back its Christmas in July event. You can check in at Notions & Potions from 10 a.m. on to receive a raffle ticket for hourly raffles, which start at 1 p.m.
Patrons can then go and take selfies in Christmas attire with store logos in the background & earn more tickets to enter the a Grand Prize Giveaway, which includes over $1,200 in gift certificates from downtown businesses.
WATCH BELOW: St. Lucie County launches "Locals Only" tourism campaign
In an additional effort to increase tourism, Visit St. Lucie has launched a new initiative, called "Locals Only" to increase boost community engagement in Fort Pierce and St. Lucie County.
This initiative aims to foster a deeper connection with the local community, especially new residents, by providing special incentives to enjoy and explore the wonderful attractions and overnight accommodations St. Lucie County has to offer.
From discounted hotel stays at oceanfront properties, to special deals at local attractions, all of the offers are tailored to generate demand during times that need it most, such as weekdays.
Director of Tourism and Marketing Charlotte Bireley said the initiative was in the works long before the recent revenue downtick but said she hopes it shows locals the beauty St. Lucie and Fort Pierce have to offer.
"There are many different inspirations that had us do this but all in all, we are looking to bring business to our local hotels and small businesses, that’s our mission," Bireley said.
To take advantage of deals, click here.
