FORT PIERCE, Fla. — After six years of anticipation, the city of Fort Pierce is finally seeing movement at the long-dormant King's Landing site.
On Thursday, city leaders and developers broke ground on a new luxury waterfront community, marking a major milestone for downtown redevelopment.
WATCH BELOW: Ground broken on King's Landing project after years of delays
The transformation of King's Landing has been in the works since 2019.
Originally, the city had partnered with the Audubon Group to begin construction in 2023. But after that deal fell through, progress stalled until now.
Earlier this year, INB Homes stepped in and purchased the property for about $2.6 million, forming a new partnership with the city.
"It's been great," Fort Pierce Mayor Linda Hudson said. "They came into our commission and said, 'We want to do this. We're eager to start. We're ready to start. We'll start as soon as you give us permission,' and that’s exactly what they did."
The project, dubbed King's Landing Villas, will feature luxury residential units in a prime location once occupied by a power plant overlooking the Indian River Lagoon.
"It was a lot of work getting it to where it is today," Bill Rosenwasser, a representative of INB Homes, said. "We know that a local vendor who lives near the project will always stand behind his work much more than a vendor coming from a different city."
He emphasized the use of all-local contractors and vendors.
With the groundbreaking complete, attention now shifts to sales and construction. According to Brooke Harris with Keller Williams Realty, interest has remained strong despite early project delays.
"We had so much interest in the beginning, but we had delays in the project," Harris said.
The first two villas are expected to be completed within nine to 10 months, and city officials say this is just the beginning. Future plans for the site include a new hotel and more residential units. Additional commercial development is expected to roll out over the next year.