Port St. Lucie – A construction worker suffered a non‑critical injury on Tuesday when he fell from scaffolding on the roof of the new Tradition Lakes K‑8 school. The worker was quickly rescued by St. Lucie Fire District personnel and transported to Cleveland Clinic Traditional Hospital, where he was treated and released.
Incident details
According to a spokesperson for the St. Lucie School District, Lydia Martin, the fall occurred in a cordoned‑off construction zone on the school’s roof. The incident was reported at 11 a.m., and a squad unit responded to the rescue. Public Information Officer Taylor Peeden confirmed that the situation was not a trauma alert and that the worker was not critically injured.
School opening postponed
While the injury did not interrupt the school day, the district announced that the opening of Tradition Lakes K‑8 would be delayed by one week. Originally slated to welcome students on Aug. 10, the first day of classes will now begin on Aug. 17. Superintendent Jon Prince said the decision was made after touring the campus and seeing unfinished work, including unwaxed floors, unassembled desks, and exhausted teachers.
“I didn’t want more than a thousand students arriving for their first day while the school still felt like a construction zone,” Prince explained. Hundreds of workers continue to finish final touches on the campus.
Construction firm involved
The project is being managed by Wharton‑Smith, a construction‑management and general‑contracting firm headquartered in Stanford, with an office in Palm Beach Gardens. The company employs roughly 680 professionals and specializes in civil, commercial, and environmental infrastructure projects throughout the Southeast.
Further questions about the incident are being directed to Wharton‑Smith.
Community impact
Parents and community members expressed relief that the injury did not affect classroom activities, but many voiced concerns about the safety of ongoing construction near a school environment. The district emphasized that the construction area remained cordoned off and that safety protocols were strictly enforced.
Tradition Lakes K‑8 is the newest addition to St. Lucie County’s public‑school system, and its delayed opening underscores the challenges of completing large‑scale educational projects on tight timelines.
Original reporting: WPBF (Treasure Coast / Hearst) — read the source article.
