A battle for Brightline: Choices for new station appear to be between Stuart, Fort Pierce
A battle is shaping up behind-the-scenes for the favor of Brightline in the railroad's search for a Treasure Coast station. Will the new station end up in Fort Pierce or Stuart?
While there are three known sites that sent proposals — King's Landing, one near the Sunrise Theatre and a parking lot for the Martin County Courthouse — there could be others.
Two commercial Realtors told TC Palm during Brightline's application window that they had clients interested in offering sites for the station. Now, though, it seems at least one of them decided against going through the process.
Despite some calls by Brightline for outside-the-box ideas, NAI Southcoast Principal and Broker Associate Douglas Legler said in an email that Brightline's criteria for a site seemed to point away from applicants such as the one he was representing.
"It became clear that the municipalities may be the best partner for this project, so we decided not to pursue," Legler said in an email.
More: Poll: Where should Brightline stop go: downtown Stuart or one of downtown Fort Pierce sites?
The second Realtor who expressed interest to TC Palm, Frank Strazzula of Coldwell Banker Paradise, has not responded to requests for comment since the Dec. 22 application passed. Strazzula said in October that he represented "a prominent owner of property with acreage that straddles the railroad in north Ft Pierce that are interested in making a proposal for a new Brightline station."
Brightline remaining mum
Brightline itself has so far declined to identify applicants, or say how many there are. It began accepting applications Oct. 26. A private company, Brightline is not subject to Florida public-records laws.
If any locations beyond the three publicly known are in the cards, St. Lucie Economic Development Council President Pete Tesch said he is unaware of them. Very few private landholders in either St. Lucie or Martin meet Brightline's criteria, he said.
"Given the fact Brightline requires roughly 900 feet of siding for the rail station, there’s not a lot of additional properties," Tesch said in an email.
Brightline officials had said they would entertain applications from all landholders that meet its criteria.
"The whole point of the process is to open (it) to creative thinking and any number of opportunities that might exist that we may not think about on our own," Brightline CEO Michael Reininger said.
In Fort Pierce, two applications were submitted just under the wire.
City of Fort Pierce
The city itself submitted a proposal to build the station on 2.37 acres along South Depot Drive, running behind the Sunrise Theatre between Orange Avenue and a county-owned parking garage. It would borrow $20 million, including $6 million to add two floors to the county-owned parking garage on South Second Street and Boston Avenue.
Despite Brightline requirements that applicants control the land they offer, one parcel of land involved in the Fort Pierce proposal still is under private ownership. The city does have "a willing seller" of the remaining land, Mayor Linda Hudson said, and the city's 103-page proposal includes a letter from property owner Irving Matthews, affirming his willingness to negotiate sale of his land to the city.
Audubon Development
Nearby, where the multi-use King's Landing development is in the early stages of construction, is another proposed location. King's Landing developer Audubon Development has submitted a proposal. Audubon President and CEO Dale Matteson has declined to say how much his proposed station would cost, but indicated Audubon would build it and charge Brightline just $1 per year for its use. The station would be on 2 acres west of Second Street, adjacent to King's Landing.
The city of Port St. Lucie and St. Lucie County have passed letters of support for both possible locations. Fort Pierce, in turn, passed a letter of support for King's Landing as well as submitting its own proposal.
Martin County and the city of Stuart
In Stuart, the city and Martin County have filed a joint proposal for a station on land currently used as parking for the county courthouse, adjacent to East Coast Lumber and Supply.
More: How many applications has Brightline gotten for its new station? Company mum as deadline nears
More: Martin County, Stuart officially submit application for Brightline station in downtown Stuart
More: Fort Pierce, Audubon Development file proposals for local Brightline station
The $60 million station, at 500 SE Flagler Ave., would see its cost split among the two entities and the railroad. The city and county would contribute $45 million, and the county would donate the land. Once built, the city would lease the site to Brightline for $1 a year for 80 years., according to the joint proposal.
Brightline launched full passenger service between Orlando and Miami Sept. 22, taking travelers through but not stopping on the Treasure Coast. The company plans to announce a selection in the first quarter of this year. It may negotiate with more than one applicant before reaching a final agreement with one.
Construction would start in 2026 and a station would open in 2028, officials have said.
Wicker Perlis is TCPalm's Watchdog Reporter for St. Lucie County. You can reach him at wicker.perlis@tcpalm.com and 504-331-0516.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Where will Brightline pick for its newest higher-speed rail station?
