Hurricane Irma is creating high surf and rip currents along the east coast. Lifeguards are warning beachgoers about the rough surf and to be cautious when in the water. LEAH VOSS/TCPALM
2017 is a year to remember, to say the least.
We lived through a major hurricane.
In May, Gov. Rick Scott signed Senate Bill 10, the legislation authorizing a significant increase in water stored south of Lake Okeechobee.
And in March, 99 people were arrested on drug-related charges as part of a “highway interdiction operation” planned around the second annual Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival. It was TCPalm.com's biggest story of the year with more than 3 million page views.
Here are the top three stories on the Treasure Coast in 2017:
[ CAST YOUR VOTE: Scroll to the bottom to vote for your top story on the Treasure Coast in 2017. ]
Hurricane Irma
Powerful Hurricane Irma swallowed the state of Florida in mid-September, causing flooding and damage from Key West to Jacksonville. The Treasure Coast remained in the cone of uncertainty for days, and at one point, Irma's eye was forecast to pass directly over Martin County.
Irma's path moved west and took aim at the Florida Keys, Marco Island and Naples.
HURRICANE IRMA COVERAGE: Stories, photos and video from Hurricane Irma
The storm was so massive, though, that St. Lucie County saw wind gusts up to 100 mph and more than 20 inches of rain in some areas, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne.
MORE: Top stories of 2017 in Vero Beach, Sebastian, Indian River County
Senate Bill 10
Gov. Rick Scott in May signed Senate Bill 10, the legislation authorizing a significant increase in water stored south of Lake Okeechobee to further the goal of reducing and eventually eliminating harmful discharges from the lake.
It was a major victory for state Sen. Joe Negron, whose Treasure Coast constituents have long demanded a solution to lake discharges, especially after last summer's toxic algae bloom. It was the worst in history, fouling not only the St. Lucie River and the Indian River Lagoon, but — for the first time — Atlantic Ocean beaches.
MORE: Top stories of 2017 in Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie and St. Lucie County
Plans to curb detrimental Lake Okeechobee discharges languish as politics and the economy change. DACIA JOHNSON/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS Wochit
Okeechobee Music Festival arrests
![Abigail Hubbard]()
1 of 74![Adrianna Morgan]()
2 of 74![Alexa Liguouri]()
3 of 74![Alexander Baker]()
4 of 74![Annmarie Henriquez]()
5 of 74![Arsenio Lansden]()
6 of 74![Austin Bossak]()
7 of 74![Austin Long]()
8 of 74![Austin Varvel]()
9 of 74![Barry White]()
10 of 74![Beatrice Lucarelli]()
11 of 74![Bradley Toms]()
12 of 74![Brandon Basinger]()
13 of 74![Brett Brennan]()
14 of 74![Brian Burnett]()
15 of 74![Brooke McCambridge]()
16 of 74![Bryan Ruiz]()
17 of 74![Cade Cronheim]()
18 of 74![Candice Brown]()
19 of 74![Carter Martinette]()
20 of 74![Castaneda Rodrigo]()
21 of 74![Chase Forester]()
22 of 74![Chase Mastin]()
23 of 74![Connor Evering]()
24 of 74![Courtney Clark]()
25 of 74![Darke Kilien]()
26 of 74![Daryl Barsan]()
27 of 74![Desirea Sala]()
28 of 74![Devin D'agostino]()
29 of 74![Dylan Young]()
30 of 74![Elaina Passero]()
31 of 74![Erin Lewis]()
32 of 74![Evan Amerio]()
33 of 74![Genaro Garcia]()
34 of 74![George Merritt]()
35 of 74![Gilberto Ortiz]()
36 of 74![Hailey Gillians]()
37 of 74![Jacob Connor]()
38 of 74![Jacob Davis]()
39 of 74![Jacob Kalar]()
40 of 74![Jacob Mowery]()
41 of 74![James Donnelly]()
42 of 74![James Grant]()
43 of 74![Jane Abernathy]()
44 of 74![Jared Nabers]()
45 of 74![Jesse Causey]()
46 of 74![Jordan Clark]()
47 of 74![Josh Ramey]()
48 of 74![Justin Mundt]()
49 of 74![Justin Siegel]()
50 of 74![Justin White]()
51 of 74![Karl Jakob]()
52 of 74![Kathryn Withers]()
53 of 74![Katlyn Hagen]()
54 of 74![Kayla Miller]()
55 of 74![Kelly Fleischer]()
56 of 74![Kevin Michelbrink]()
57 of 74![Kyle Lapour]()
58 of 74![Kyle Minckler]()
59 of 74![Lauren Regiec]()
60 of 74![Madison Bass]()
61 of 74![Madison Francis]()
62 of 74![Marco Perez]()
63 of 74![Mark Carver]()
64 of 74![Matthew Eshleman]()
65 of 74![Nahshon Blair]()
66 of 74![Nicole Taylor]()
67 of 74![Roman Ipanag]()
68 of 74![Samantha Bernstein]()
69 of 74![Simon Woodfork]()
70 of 74![Simone James]()
71 of 74![Tu Vo]()
72 of 74![William Stone]()
73 of 74![Wyatt Glouner]()
74 of 74
Nearly 100 people were arrested on drug-related charges in March as part of a “highway interdiction operation” planned around the Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival. The drugs recovered included hallucinogenic mushrooms, marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine, synthetic marijuana, LSD, hydrocodone and heroin.
MORE: Top stories of 2017 in Stuart, Jensen Beach, Palm City and Martin County
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About this project
TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers compiled a list of stories from 2017 that had the biggest impact on the Treasure Coast.
We also chose top stories for each county that had significant meaning to the community.
Several factors were considered when choosing the stories, including overall impact on the community, page views on TCPalm and reaction on social media.