PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — In 2003, 17-year-old Jessica Clinton died from a heart condition, and soon after, Jessica Clinton Park got its name. On the street outside the park named after her, hearts were painted to raise awareness for conditions like hers. Overnight on Tuesday, they were removed. The city says it's to comply with new FDOT regulations that we've been seeing across the state.
The park is a community staple right in the heart of the South Bend neighborhood in Port Saint Lucie.
“We enjoy it very much, very much enjoy it,” said local resident Samantha Scala.
These hearts were painted on the road outside the park, meant to be a symbol of support for the park’s namesake and others with similar heart conditions -- overnight, crews removed them, shocking and upsetting to many I spoke with at the park.
“Pretty bummed,” said Scala. “That was, one, a nice thing to see — but two, I know it symbolized Jessica. That's upsetting to see that it was removed.”
“It's not really hurting anybody,” said resident Antonio DeRosa. “So, you know, why not leave that awareness around?”
“It is heartbreaking,” added Melissa Stephenson. “I would just want to know why. I understand that there's protocol, but these have been here for years, and so why would you decide to do this now
Searching for answers, WPTV’s Michael Hoffman reached out to the city of Port St Lucie. A spokesperson confirmed to him that the city “removed the hearts to comply with FDOT requirements.”
It’s something we’re seeing across our area and the state after new legislation aims to do away with street art that FDOT says could distract drivers.
“The Florida legislature passed a law that was very clear, that I signed into law,” said Governor Ron DeSantis in a recent address to the media. “We're not doing the commandeering of the roads to put up messaging.”
The order went to all municipalities across the state, demanding the removal of the road markings — some think, however, that a case-by-case basis would be better than a blanket removal of all of them.
“Maybe it should be a case-by-case deal, which I know is really difficult when you're on a grand scale of trying to decipher, you know, a city with a state ordinance and things like that,” said Stephenson. “But to have them ripped out overnight just was a pretty poor call.”
Park staff tells Hoffman that the hearts will return — just not on a city road. They tell him of a plan to, within the next couple of weeks, repaint the hearts in the park’s parking lot.
City officials also confirm to Hoffman that Port St. Lucie will work with its Parks and Recreation Department to put hearts on city property.
