https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Administration


American City & County’s Crown Communities

  • Written by Derek Prall and Stephanie Toone
  • 28th December 2015
From organically maintained fruit groves to innovative stormwater management projects, American City & County's Crown Communities demonstrated creative problem solving abilities and an overall commitment to serving residents in the most meaningful ways possible.

What is in this article?

  • American City & County’s Crown Communities
  • American City & County’s Crown Communities
  • American City & County’s Crown Communities
  • American City & County’s Crown Communities
  • American City & County’s Crown Communities
  • American City & County’s Crown Communities
  • American City & County’s Crown Communities
  • American City & County’s Crown Communities

American City & County’s Crown Communities

Transportation
Summer Youth Free Ride Program
St. Lucie County, Fla.

By midway through 2015, Fort Pierce, Fla., a small city that lies between Orlando and Miami, had experienced five gang-related homicides, one of which involved a two-year-old girl caught in the crossfire of a shootout near a birthday party.

The rapidly growing instances of gang-related violence in the city, the county seat of St. Lucie, has brought the town of 45,000 people to the ranks of most dangerous cities in the nation, according to neighborhood data site NeighborhoodScout.com.

County officials sought to erase that moniker earlier this year by partnering with Community Transit and The Roundtable of St. Lucie County, a nonprofit made up of a coalition of partners seeking to find systematic solutions to the community ills, for the Summer Youth Free Ride program to remove the barrier of paid transportation that interfered with the city’s youth engaging in positive programs.

The collaborative discovered that, although enriching athletic, social and educational after-school programs could mitigate the ongoing gang problems, one obstacle stood in the way of youth participation – transportation. Through the Roundtable’s “Restoring the Village” initiative, about 200 teens were interviewed about programs such as the Boys & Girls Club, the Police Athletic League and Frontline for Kids. The common theme was a lack of resources to pay for the $100- per-semester student fee charged by the county’s school system to bus students to those programs.

The county’s board of commissioners approved Community Transit to provide free rides between June 4 and Aug. 14. to youths under the age of 18 with a valid student ID or county library card. The free trips offered students rides to structured activities at the county library, pools and summer nutrition programs.
The county spent about $7,000 to promote the free ride program, and that investment paid off in dividends for the community. The program charted 3,436 rides through the summer program. The rides would have equaled to a little more than $6,000 in fares. That cost was offset by the sale of old buses.

More than just giving young people a ride, the program got St. Lucie County’s youth active in education and wellness programs. The free youth transit program led to the county library system’s reading challenge participation increasing by 256 percent this summer.

County commissioners, impressed by the partnership’s success, decided to set aside $20,000 from the county’s general funds to extend the free rides program for the entire 2015-2016 school year.

“The Youth Ride Free program is a result of efforts made by several community partners, including the County Commission, County Administration, the transit system and all the other non-profit partners listening to our youth and understanding one of their needs,” says St. Lucie County Community Services Director Beth Ryder. 

American City & County’s Crown Communities
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
American City & County’s Crown Communities
Tags: Administration Article

2 comments

  1. Avatar user-535792 12th January 2016 @ 6:43 pm
    Reply

    The City of Philadelphia
    The City of Philadelphia becomes an American City & County Crown Community in recognition of their community revitalization and innovative neighborhood asset mapping strategies. Congratulations! See page 7

  2. Avatar user-541432 18th February 2016 @ 6:26 pm
    Reply

    I clearly remember when my
    I clearly remember when my friend’s parents were visiting Arizona State University and her dad pulled an orange off the tree and broke into it. He spat out the first bite in horror, it was so bitter. They were ornamental trees. How incredibly stupid! They required water, pruning, and cleanup, but produced inedible fruits. This was more than 30 years ago, I’ve no idea whether the trees are still there.

    More cities (and campuses) should consider edible plantings, but consideration and care must be taken if commercial orchards are nearby. You wouldn’t want to inadvertently host pest species that can damage crops.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Lessons from your friendly neighborhood public service employees
  • Harris County deploys next-generation security in 150 public buildings
  • How local governments can get ahead of the infrastructure wave: Strategies to mitigate risk
  • Prioritizing rapid restore leads to stronger ransomware attack recovery

White papers


Hand Hygiene: Compliance Matters

23rd May 2022

What it Takes to Build a Winning Esports Program

23rd May 2022

Sixth-Largest US School District Saves Over $500,000 by Utilizing a Cooperative

23rd May 2022
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Changing recruitment practices can ease retention challenges dlvr.it/SQzzPt

24th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

EVs are coming in a big way – Will charging infrastructure be ready? dlvr.it/SQzfL1

24th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Optimizing the 3 stages of RFP creation for faster results | June 16, 2022 at 2 PM ET dlvr.it/SQzV7d

24th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Amid digital evolution, equity in accessibility is of utmost importance dlvr.it/SQwZ3b

23rd May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Hand Hygiene: Compliance Matters dlvr.it/SQwL8f

23rd May 2022
AmerCityCounty

What it Takes to Build a Winning Esports Program dlvr.it/SQwJRj

23rd May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Sixth-Largest US School District Saves Over $500,000 by Utilizing a Cooperative dlvr.it/SQwHPv

23rd May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Amid shifting workplace expectations, local government employers must adapt dlvr.it/SQm2RT

20th May 2022

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X