FORT PIERCE, Fla. — Brightline, your next stop is not Fort Pierce. The news confirmed Monday by WPTV that instead Stuart will be the next site for a Treasure Coast high-speed rail stop.
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"So yeah I’m really bummed,” Staci Dunn, the owner of The Cake Lady in Fort Pierce, said.
The announcement came much to the disappointment of downtown Fort Pierce business owners like Dunn who said they had high hopes.
"Everybody was looking forward to Brightline,” Dunn said. "I don't know anyone who was opposed to it."
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Fellow business owner Beryl Muise at Notions and Potions agreed that Fort Pierce would've been a great spot for a Treasure Coast station.
"It was a ghost town when I first got here eight years ago,” Muse said. "And you can see the progress and it still has that small town charm as well and it's not losing that."
Next door to Fort Pierce City Hall on Monday banners were still up inviting the opportunity for a Brightline station.
"Well I have to pass that sign everyday to get to work,” Dunn said. "So to see it everyday and I’m like when are they gonna make a decision? Everybody down here is very anxious to find out.”
There was no official announcement or confirmation of the news from the City of Fort Pierce on Monday despite WPTV efforts. City leaders only responded by email, “the city has no comment about Brightline at this time.”
The City Clerk's Office told our team that requests for more information will take up to two weeks. Our crew did not encounter any city commissioners or the city Manager at city Hall on Monday.
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WPTV did find countless people like Dunn and Muise disappointed
"It's very sad if they go somewhere else," Dunn said.
Despite no station, Dunn said her hometown pride remains stronger than ever.
"Yes very proud,” she said. "I love my city."
