UPDATE, APRIL 14, 2017: St. Lucie County officials rejected the only bidder for turning Harbour Pointe Park in Fort Pierce into a megayacht service center. This follows the bidder, Ft. Pierce Mega-Yacht Center, changing its mind as to what it wanted to do.
Local media report that the company owner informed a county official of the change in an email. He reportedly said the business would instead first focus on government and commercial ships. According to the newspaper TC Palm, the owner added that megayacht operations could start later, requiring far more time and money before resulting in revenue. However, the master plan for Harbour Pointe Park requires megayacht activity. Furthermore, a key partner in the company with the most megayacht experience dropped out over the development bid.
St. Lucie County officials do plan to continue pursuing megayacht-refit plans for Harbour Pointe Park. We’ll continue following the story.
Read on for our original article about Harbour Pointe Park from last fall.
A megayacht-refit center is coming to Fort Pierce, Florida, following developer selection next year. The announcement comes after more than a decade of similar discussions in the region.
According to TCPalm.com, a local news website, the St. Lucie County Commission met with the Fort Pierce City Commission last week to discuss the matter. The 20 acres lie in Harbour Pointe Park, the northern section of the Port of Fort Pierce. Situated at the entrance to the Indian River, they belong to the county. Local and county officials have become increasingly aware of the “congestion” at South Florida yards, as one person put it. Furthermore, megayacht service would create jobs, part of an overall redevelopment plan for the entire Port, comprising 290 acres.
The refit center does mark a slight change of direction for St. Lucie County, however. Earlier this year, officials wanted to buy 67 acres offered for sale by a local businessman, Lloyd Bell. It also planned to lease the above-mentioned 20 acres, though without a specific usage in mind. “The Bell property is the heart of the port and key to any development,” county administrator Howard Tipton told media in April. The intended development included a maritime school and a megayacht-service area. Talks with the Bell family reportedly have not progressed since that time, however.
This isn’t the first time negotiations failed with the Bells. In 2001, Lürssen wanted the property for a stateside facility. Bell declined, preferring commercial use. No commercial interest arose, though, so the property came off the market, until earlier this year.
Now that county-owned land is the focus, the county will hire a developer, and lease the property for usage. Developer selection will occur early next year, according to Howard Tipton, the county administrator. “If this is successful, then it could encourage other property owners to develop their property,” he tells TCPalm.com. “South Florida is maxed out,” Paula Lewis, the county commissioner, adds. “There really is a need for [yachts] to come here. It is a need that didn’t exist 15 years ago.”
Megayachts have indeed come recently. The Indian River Terminal hosted Double Down and Freedom for refit and repair work about a year ago. Officials say the work totaled about $1.5 million.
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