Margaret and Joseph Mucciolo purchased their Port St. Lucie home for the backyard views of nature and quiet relaxation. Margaret Mucciolo said she saw the beautiful setting and told the real estate agent to get ready to make an offer because it just felt like home. But now the couple says their little piece of paradise is under threat after the city council voted to rezone the lot behind their yard, where trees currently stand, from residential to commercial. Joseph Mucciolo said in six months or a year, it's going to be gone.
The Port St. Lucie City Council approved the rezoning change in a unanimous vote. One council member said adding commercial closer to neighborhoods reduces the length of trips, which reduces overall traffic because trips are shorter and it reduces the burden on the overall network. The couple fought the change for months and spoke at Monday's meeting, but they feel their voices have gone unheard. The council held its second reading Monday as a quasi-judicial hearing, meaning council members act as a panel of judges, applying existing zoning rules to a specific property and making decisions based strictly on sworn testimony and factual evidence, not public opinion. The Mucciolos say they will be exploring any kind of appeal process to change this outcome or to change the next one.