ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — As popular as working from home has become, a majority of workers in one Treasure Coast county travel to another county for their jobs.
St. Lucie County's economic development team said its the first to take part in pilot program using the traffic app Waze to remind workers that they don't have to go the distance.
The development council said 62% of St. Lucie County residents commute out of the area for work.
"What blows my mind is some people commute all the way to Tampa, but the majority commute into Palm Beach or Broward (counties) every day," Maureen Saltzer, with the economic development council, said.
She had the bright idea — instead of billboards, contact Waze and have the company generate a pop-up message alerting drivers to available jobs in the county on its website.
The pop-up ads are sent out when drivers cross Citrus Boulevard or Becker Road heading south during the morning rush between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. and again when drivers head north — or home for the day — between 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
"Next time they're sitting around on a weekend saying, 'Oh, I have to do something about this. I'm dreading work next week, that commute,' they'll remember it and get onto the website," Saltzer said.
Peter Tesch, president of the St. Lucie County Economic Development Council, also hopes the Waze ads drive more people to jobs in the area, especially with gas prices at historic highs.
"There's pain at the pump and if workers are spending much more to fill their gas tanks, it's gotta be a much less stressful environment to work locally," Tesch said.
From January until now, the economic team said, Waze has sent out more than 6,000 ads directing drivers to work local.
The pilot program ends at the end of next month.