Businessman Lloyd Bell listed for sale 67 acres at the Port of Fort Pierce, a centerpiece of the city’s development aspirations.
“The Bell property is the heart of the port and key to any development at the port,” St. Lucie County administrator Howard Tipton told the Vero Beach Press Journal.
Bell’s daughter Christina Bell told the newspaper the family is getting offers from bidders for the 67 acres but declined to disclose the asking price or say whether leasing the land is an acceptable alternative to selling.
The city government is trying to encourage revitalization of the Port of Fort Pierce, located just north of the downtown area. Fort Pierce’s planning and zoning regulations apply to the port because it is located inside city limits, but the St. Lucie County Commission serves as the port authority.
Tipton, the county administrator, told the Vero Beach Press Journal that county commissioners would like to see a compatible blend of job-creating developments at the port: “We would like to create a maritime complex of manufacturing and repair, with compatible industries. You don’t want to put a hotel on one piece and then have visitors looking at boat repair. We want everything to be compatible.” [Vero Beach Press Journal] — Mike Seemuth