Fort Pierce - Tuesday June 6, 2023: The City of Fort Pierce has made it a priority to convince Brightline to put a passenger stop in the Sunrise City and Commissioners Monday night voted to approve an agreement to begin the design work for the station.
As a result of a lawsuit settlement agreement, Brightline conceded to incorporate a stop for passengers somewhere along the Treasures Coast in Martin or St. Lucie County within five years of their official launch of service.
The Commission's decision to approve planning for a station doesn't mean that Brightline will actually agree to build a station in Fort Pierce. As Mayor Linda Hudson pointed out at the Commission meeting Monday night, planning is just the first step. “Brightline knows very well that we’re very interested in a station, but what it means is that we’re showing them that we are ready to have a station.”
The Mayor observed that Fort Pierce was once a major switching stop along the East Coast Railway and Fort Pierce City Manager Nick Mimms said he looks forwarded to trains stopping here once again. “We have not swayed in our desire to have a passenger rail station return to the City of Fort Pierce. We shall move forward with a conceptual design of a clearly identified location for a Brightline Station to be placed in Fort Pierce.”
The Commissioners unanimously approved a nearly $100-thousand-dollar agreement between the St. Lucie County Transportation Planning Organization and Zyscovich Architects to identify 3 potential sites. Brightline will be involved in the design.