Brightline to build new Treasure Coast station in downtown Stuart, city officials say

Editor's note: This article was modified from its original version to correct the title of Martin County Assistant Administrator George Stokus.

STUART — Brightline will build its Treasure Coast station in Stuart, city officials said Monday.

City Manager Mike Mortell informed city employees on Monday that Stuart had won the competition for the new station, to be located downtown, near the Martin County Courthouse.

Brightline officials on Monday did not respond to a request for comment.

Stuart and Martin County reaction

"We're very excited about it," city spokesperson Misti Guertin said of Brightline's decision, which Mortell received verbally from the railroad. Brightline has not yet announced the new site.

A formal "kickoff" event is set for 8 a.m. March 11 at the station site on Southeast Flagler Avenue.

The city of Stuart and Martin County had partnered on the station application.

Martin County Assistant County Administrator George Stokus knew nothing of the decision to choose downtown Stuart for the Treasure Coast's stop, he said late Monday. The county had received no official word from Brightline, and by Monday afternoon he had yet to speak with Stuart officials, he said.

“We are waiting for Brightline to make an announcement,” county spokesperson Martha Ann Kneiss said Monday.

The winning proposal

It was unknown Monday whether Brightline had accepted the city-county proposal as it was submitted in late December or if there had been negotiations on terms of the deal.

The joint Stuart-Martin County application estimated cost of the station, at 500 Southeast Flagler Ave., at $60 million. That cost, according to the proposal, would be shared among the city, the county and Brightline, with $45 million coming from the city and county. The proposal called for the county to donate the site, near the county courthouse, to Stuart, which would lease it to the railroad company for $1 a year for 80 years. As part of the city's obligation, it would construct a new parking garage.

The Martin County Tourist Development Council also committed up to $800,000, including $200,000 to buy tickets, to market Brightline service.

Of four unsuccessful Brightline bids, two were public

In total, five property owners submitted applications for the new station. Of the five sites Brightline was considering, three were publicly known: downtown Stuart and two in downtown Fort Pierce.

City of Fort Pierce proposal

The city of Fort Pierce itself submitted a bid for a station, along the tracks behind the Sunrise Theatre. Its plan would have utilized a county-owned parking garage on South Second Street at Boston Avenue, across from the courthouse. That station would be built on 2.37 acres along South Depot Drive, running between Orange Avenue and the garage.

The city said it would borrow $20 million toward the station, including $6 million to add two floors to the garage.

But Fort Pierce did not own all of that 2.37 acres, creating a possible issue for Brightline, which had required applicants control the land they offered. The city did have "a willing seller" for the outstanding parcel, Mayor Linda Hudson had said, and the city's 103-page proposal included a letter from property owner Irving Matthews affirming his willingness to negotiate a sale to the city.

In a text message, Hudson said Fort Pierce officials had been in communication with Brightline on Monday, but she did not say Stuart had been chosen. The company told Fort Pierce officials that no selection has been "announced," Hudson said.

"Before any announcement, Brightline will notify all those who submitted proposals," Hudson said.

King's Landing proposal

The second Fort Pierce bid came from Audubon Development, the developer building the King’s Landing complex downtown, on the site of the former H.D. King Power Plant. The Audubon proposal included a public-private partnership with Indian River State College and its foundation, where a $17 million station would include dining facilities highlighting the college’s culinary program. It also included a $30 million museum featuring the art and history of the Treasure Coast and a $36 million luxury apartment complex.

Audubon CEO Dale Matteson also could not be reached for comment Monday.

Pros and cons: Three known pitches to Brightline for Treasure Coast station intriguing, but ...

A battle for Brightline: Looking at the choices for new station between Stuart, Fort Pierce

Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County tried to market itself to Brightline

St. Lucie County commissioners and Port St. Lucie City Council members had voiced support for both Fort Pierce applications, while Fort Pierce city commissioners officially backed Audubon’s bid in addition to their own. Fort Pierce had advocated for itself in a number of ways, including putting up banners facing the tracks on a city-owned parking garage. The banners read: "Brightline, your next stop is ... Fort Pierce.” The city also launched a podcast called “Next Stop Fort Pierce.”

Unlike the Stuart-Martin County proposal, both Fort Pierce and Audubon had offered to pay the entire cost of the station.

Another Brightline milestone

Selection of Stuart for the new station marks another milestone in the development of Brightline. Florida East Coast Industries announced in March 2012 that it would use its existing rail corridor between Miami and Cocoa, and a new segment to be built from Cocoa to Orlando, for a state-of-the-art higher-speed passenger railroad.

The last passenger service along the coastal corridor ended in 1968.

At the time, the $1.5 billion project, then called All Aboard Florida, was to be completed and operational in just two years, by 2014, the company said. It took twice that long for the first service to begin. Service between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, and later to Miami, began in early 2018.

It took another five years, until Sept. 22, 2023, and a total of $4 billion, for the launch of regular train service between Miami and Orlando International Airport.

In the meantime, Martin and Indian River counties had become a hotbed of opposition to the railroad — initially named All Aboard Florida; then Brightline; then Virgin trains USA; and back to Brightline. Together, both county governments spent about $8 million in legal fees, trying to block the railroad from extending through the Treasure Coast.

In June 2021, Brightline offered to settle lawsuits with the two counties. Indian River refused, but Martin County agreed to a settlement which included construction of a station, in either Martin or St. Lucie county, within five years of the launch of Orlando service.

Brightline has said its new Treasure Coast station would be under construction in 2026 and would open in 2028.

Keith Burbank is TCPalm's watchdog reporter covering Martin County. He can be reached at keith.burbank@tcpalm.com.

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: Stuart says it won the Brightline sweepstakes, see the details here