The Brightline saga on the Treasure Coast has a new twist: the proposed Stuart station might not go in downtown Stuart at all. Martin County commissioners have directed staff to start exploring a very different location — the Martin County Fairgrounds.
Two things are driving the rethink. First, the money. Commissioner Edward Ciampi laid out how the projected cost has crept upward over time: 'It's gone from 30 million to 40 million to 50 million to 60 million' and, depending on who you ask, into 'the 80 million dollar range.' That's a big jump from where this started.
Second, the roadblock we've covered before: Florida East Coast Railway has blocked the downtown site, arguing that stopping trains there would force the Stuart Railroad Bridge to close every time a train arrives — a problem for boat traffic and Coast Guard rules.
The fairgrounds pitch actually has some logic to it. Ciampi pointed to ample parking, proximity to US-1, adjacency to the airport, and access to nearby industry — with no residential neighbors to object. And the timing lines up: the fair is expected to move to a new location by 2028. 'The timing of the fair exiting that location, if all of the puzzle pieces fell into place, would be appropriate timing for a Brightline station,' he said.
Not everyone is sold on spending the money at all. Commissioner Eileen Vargas raised fiscal concerns, noting residents already feel financially strained and that commissioners should listen to their constituents. Commission Chair Sarah Heard flagged the key date hanging over all of this: the county has until June 30, 2027 to back out of the deal.
For the 772, the takeaway is that a Stuart Brightline stop is still very much alive — but where it lands, what it costs, and whether it happens at all are all still moving. We'll keep tracking it.