St. Lucie County Seeks Operator and Developer for the Port of Fort Pierce

The Board of County Commissioners in St. Lucie County, Florida, has issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a private partner to operate and develop the Port of Fort Pierce.

St. Lucie County purchased the terminal and a 10-percent interest in the 67-acre tract inside the Port of Fort Pierce, known as the Bell Property. The terminal features 1,200 feet of seawall, and more than 125,600-square-feet of warehouse space in two buildings.

Proposals are due to St. Lucie County by Wednesday, June 6 at 4:00 p.m. County officials will hold a site visit and question-and-answer session on Tuesday, May 8 at 10:00 a.m. Interested parties must submit a statement of qualifications that detail their experience, expertise and financial capabilities, along with a description of its proposed development program and marketing plan for the terminal.

One of seven deep-water, seaports on Florida’s East Coast, the Port of Fort Pierce sits between Port Canaveral and Miami, less than three miles from the mouth of the deep-water Fort Pierce Inlet and offering unobstructed access to the Intracoastal Waterway and Atlantic Ocean. The port is in close proximity to the Treasure Coast International Airport and Business Park, with its expanding U.S. Customs facility and active Foreign Trade Zone.

St. Lucie County has completed more than $7.3 million worth of improvements to the streets leading into the port area. These improvements, which include resurfaced roads, retention ponds, sidewalks and lighting, will increase the access in and around the Port of Fort Pierce for the public as well as the local businesses operating in the port area.

Businesses interested in learning more about the RFQ to operate the Port of Fort Pierce can review it online: www.DemandStar.com or it can be emailed at the vendors request. Interested vendor’s can e-mail a request for the RFQ document to Sandi Morando at morandos@stlucieco.org.