Port St. Lucie, St. Lucie County throw support behind Fort Pierce for Brightline station

Wicker Perlis, Treasure Coast Newspapers
·3 min read

ST. LUCIE COUNTY — As the deadline nears for proposals for Treasure Coast Brightline stations, St. Lucie County and Port St. Lucie officials are lining up behind Fort Pierce's bid.

The higher-speed train company announced in October that it was taking applications for locations from local governments and private landowners in St. Lucie and Martin counties.

On Monday, the Port St. Lucie City Council approved a resolution formally supporting a station in downtown Fort Pierce. Lucie Mayor Shannon Martin also wrote a letter expressing support.

"We're very happy to be able to support our sister city," Martin said Monday.

Then, on Tuesday, the St. Lucie County Commission approved its own letter of support.

County garage in Fort Pierce could be used

The county letter included new information on what it called "an impressive proposal for a station" that has been prepared by Fort Pierce. According to the letter, Fort Pierce will be allowed to include the county-owned courthouse parking garage on Second Street in its application.

"We are pleased to offer our full support in including the St. Lucie County-owned parking garage located at 271 S. Second St. in the city of Fort Pierce's proposal," said the letter, signed by Commission Chair Cathy Townsend. "This parking facility, conveniently located in the heart of downtown Fort Pierce, offers ample parking spaces and excellent accessibility for both commuters and visitors."

The city would be prepared to expand the garage if needed, according to an agenda request affiliated with the letter.

A Brightline train passes by the Sunrise Theatre at the Orange Avenue crossing at 38 mph as it heads north through St. Lucie County on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, on its way to Orlando on the first day of transporting passengers.
A Brightline train passes by the Sunrise Theatre at the Orange Avenue crossing at 38 mph as it heads north through St. Lucie County on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, on its way to Orlando on the first day of transporting passengers.

"If Brightline accepts Fort Pierce's station proposal, the city intends (to) fund and increase the size of the parking garage by adding floors to accommodate additional public parking needs," according to the agenda item, attributed to County Administrator George Landry.

Brightline's requirements for a station include accessibility of 200 parking spaces.

The county-owned garage is near a downtown location suggested by Fort Pierce officials for a station, though the City Commission has yet to act on it. Brightline's application deadline is Dec. 22. The commission is scheduled to meet Monday.

That location, near the Sunrise Theatre, is not likely to be the only one proposed in Fort Pierce. At least one private developer, Audobon Development President and CEO Dale Matteson, has indicated his company intends to apply. Audobon is developing the King's Landing mixed-use project, which recently began construction.

Martin County competition

The Fort Pierce locations face competition primarily from sites in Martin County. The county, in partnership with the city of Stuart, is offering Brightline county-owned property near the county courthouse in downtown Stuart. Both the city and county commissions this week approved submitting their application.

At the same time, Martin County this week dropped its second possible station site, the Martin County Fairgrounds.

More: Martin County releases site plan for Brightline train station near downtown Stuart

More: Stuart agrees to move forward with county in bid for Brightline station downtown

Port St. Lucie Vice Mayor Jolien Caraballo said Monday that Fort Pierce is "so ideal" for Brightline because Martin County is too close to the railroad's West Palm Beach station and too far from Indian River County.

Fort Pierce 'the best place'

"The best place is Fort Pierce," Caraballo said of a future station along the corridor between Miami and Orlando. "I'm putting my money on Fort Pierce because I want to go up and see Mickey Mouse on the Brightline."

In addition to competing with known applicants, Fort Pierce and Martin County may have to contend with proposals from private landowners. Brightline Senior Vice President for Corporate Affairs Ben Porritt recently declined to say how many applications had been received.

"We’re on pace for 12/22 but aren’t disclosing (any) details during the process," Porritt said recently in an email. "We’re certainly encouraged by the response we've received and the support from the community for a station in the Treasure Coast."

It may be some time between that Dec. 22 deadline and an announcement, however. According to Brightline's application guidelines, it plans to announce its site in early 2024.

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: Local governments pick sides in competition to land Brightline station