The Funky Side Of Fort Pierce

Fort Pierce is a port town, settled around 1882, which in recent years has revitalized its downtown and waterfront. However, it is dealing with a nagging crime problem in other parts of the city. Lately, it is most famous for being the location of the federal courthouse where Donald Trump was supposed to be tried for hoarding and refusing to return top secret, classified documents. Until Trump appointee and federal judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case on grounds the government did not have the power to appoint a special prosecutor. An appeal has been filed, and so we will just have to see if the case goes forward, and whether it resumes in Fort Pierce. And so far, reporters have not been very impressed with the town. It is very much like a typical Florida seaside town but does seem to have its funky side. I took the photograph on the left of that cow wearing a hat and a Hawaiian lei in the parking lot of an ice cream store that features, of all things, "boozy flavors." Is that real alcohol they put in their homemade ice cream, and is it legal to sell to minors? So many questions, so few answers.

Just down the street is a "psychic boutique," offering life coaching, spiritual guidance, and psychic readings, starting at $20. I have not seen any lines out the door when I have passed by, but it is the summer, after all, and not exactly prime time for tourist season in Florida. Although if a hurricane does show up on the horizon, it would be a useful place to go to find out if you should evacuate or not. Of course, they would probably double the cost of the session to reveal that kind of information, but what the hell. It is an emergency after all, right?

And, of course, there is the "World Peace Manatee," as seen in front of the Seven Gables House in the photograph on the left, which I have featured on this blog before. This house was built around 1905 and was restored and moved to the waterfront back in the 1990s. It is now the Visitor's Information Center, operated by the Fort Pierce Chamber of Commerce. In addition to its architectural features, it also became a bordello back in 1943 and was popular with servicemen stationed there during World War II. That tidbit of information is not mentioned by the Chamber of Commerce. I learned about that particular fact from the Urban Florida Photographer on flickr. And as for the World Peace Manatee, I haven't a clue.