Fort Pierce seeks hotel development partner

The city wants to lease a former power-plant site for a downtown hotel project

The former site of a power plant in Fort Pierce is now a vacant downtown parcel.
The former site of a power plant in Fort Pierce is now a vacant downtown parcel.

The city of Fort Pierce is seeking a partnership with a developer to build a hotel on a former power-plant site in the city’s downtown area.

The city would retain ownership of the eight-acre site of the former H.D. King Power Plant, and the developer would lease the land for hotel construction.

All proposed-project bids are due Sept. 5, according to a draft copy of the city’s request for proposals and qualifications to recruit a hotel developer.

The Fort Pierce Redevelopment Agency has approved the Sept. 5 bidding deadline as part of a bid-solicitation timetable proposed by Fort Pierce City Manager Nick Mimms.

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Mimms said the city will advertise its request for proposals in publications and on websites devoted to real estate development.

The city has tried twice before to get a new use for the old power-plant site.

In 2014, a St. Petersburg-based group canceled its plan to build not only a hotel on the eight acres downtown but also 300 apartments, 50 townhouses and a four-story parking garage.

In 2010, a South Florida developer terminated its own plan to build a hotel and more on the site, including restaurants, shops and homes. [TCPalm.com] Mike Seemuth