Port St. Lucie Mayor Shannon Martin, who has served as mayor for the past five years and on the city council since 2010, joins the show for a third time to discuss how the city's priorities have shifted amid rapid population growth. She covers upcoming road and intersection projects, economic development around Walton Road and US 1, and the city's approach to public safety technology.

Martin also explains how the city budget works and shares her vision for the city's next several years.

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Derreck Ogden, a small business owner and single father running for Stuart City Commissioner Group 3, sits down to talk about slow growth, the future of the Sailfish Park ballfields, and his plan to make city government more transparent. He shares why he thinks development pressure is likely to move into East Stuart next, why he believes current affordable housing rules aren't working as intended, and what he'd do in his first 100 days in office, including requiring a public vote before the city sells or leases important land. The conversation also covers what makes downtown Stuart's small business community worth protecting and how Ogden thinks residents can get more insight into what their commissioners are doing. For more conversations with the people shaping Florida's Treasure Coast, visit treasurecoast.com.

Susan O'Rourke, a longtime engineer and Martin County resident, is running for the District 2 seat on the Martin County Commission. In this episode, she discusses her background running her own engineering businesses, what prompted her to enter the race, and her priorities around water quality, affordability, homelessness, and road safety.

O'Rourke also covers her ideas for improving public transit, including her support for bringing Brightline to Stuart, her approach to affordable housing options like accessory dwelling units, and how she is addressing a residency question raised during the campaign.

Chris Collins, who spent the last four years as a City of Stuart Commissioner and mayor, is now running for Martin County Commission. In this episode, he discusses why he believes the county is where the next major growth battles will happen, how large land use decisions get made, and what he means by slow growth at both the city and county level.

Collins also covers his position on property tax reform, his opposition to AI data centers in Martin County, and the county's role in advocating for water quality and reduced Lake Okeechobee discharges, including ongoing efforts to remove legacy muck from the St. Lucie River.

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Steven Giordano, a local business owner and long-time Port St. Lucie resident, is running for mayor. In this episode, he discusses his background with the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office and later in nuclear plant security, what prompted him to run, and his views on traffic safety, growth, and government transparency.

Giordano also covers his ideas for a local homeless shelter, a new trade school for the city, support for city workers and local unions, and his push to reform the city charter and add term limits for the mayor's office.

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John Dial, a longtime yacht broker and marine industry business owner, is running for the District 4 seat on the Martin County Commission. In this episode, he discusses his background in the boating industry, what prompted him to enter the race, and his views on managed growth, workforce housing, and government transparency.

Dial also discusses the debate over Port Salerno's commercial fishing docks and a proposed mooring field, his concerns about the Brightline rail project's cost to the county, and a specific drainage dispute he says influenced his campaign.

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Bernard Taylor, a fourth-generation Floridian and working firefighter and paramedic, is running for the Democratic nomination in Florida's 21st Congressional District, which covers all of St. Lucie County, all of Martin County, and northern Palm Beach County. In this episode, he discusses how his work in emergency medicine shaped his views on health care, his plan to limit corporate purchases of single-family homes, and his proposal for a state catastrophic insurance fund.

Taylor also covers his ideas for bringing trade education back into high schools, protecting small business funding, investing in public transportation, restoring natural water flow from Lake Okeechobee, and his call for a moratorium on new data centers.

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Althea Wiley, a 60 year resident of Martin County and longtime community advocate, is running for the county commission's District 2 seat. In this episode, she discusses her background as a private chef, restaurant owner, and Realtor, how years of helping neighbors navigate local government led her to run for office, and her approach to affordable housing, growth, and government transparency.

Wiley also addresses recent claims made about her candidacy, why she changed her political party affiliation years ago, and what she considers her top priorities if elected to the commission.

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Merritt Matheson, a former Stuart city commissioner and founder of Martin County Forever, is running again for a seat on the Stuart City Commission. In this episode, he discusses how state legislation has reduced local control over growth, his background as a fishing guide and advocate on water quality, and his push to bring dedicated conservation funding to the City of Stuart.

Matheson also talks about the origins of Martin County Forever, the criticism he has faced over local business endorsements, and his approach to bringing the community together around shared goals rather than division.

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Eric Strazzeri, a retired combat veteran and former corporate cybersecurity leader, is running for Mayor of Port St. Lucie. In this episode, he discusses what prompted him to run and shares his views on the city's growth, infrastructure, and spending priorities.

Strazzeri explains his opposition to the city's minor league soccer stadium project, his support for redirecting red light and license plate camera funding toward community programs, his plan for quarterly town halls and greater transparency, and his proposal to move Port St. Lucie toward a strong mayor form of government.

Find more local conversations from The Current by TreasureCoast.com at treasurecoast.com.