STUART, Fla. — A number of marine businesses in Martin County have filed a federal lawsuit saying they won't be getting fair access to the water once a high-speed rail comes to town.
The lawsuit surrounds the St. Lucie River bridge in Stuart and what will happen once Brightline expands its operations through the Treasure Coast into central Florida.
It was busy Monday at the Indiantown Marine Center, and Dan Romence said business has been good so far.
"We've got a lot of vessels here in workspace that are doing their maintenance and repairs — 25 miles inland from the coast, so it's a safe location; it's an accessible location," he said.
However, he's worried about how that business will be impacted by Brightline.
"The impact of the waterway obstruction will be widely felt throughout our community," Romence said.
He's among 13 plaintiffs suing the Florida East Coast Railway, Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Coast Guard as work begins this month to bring the 95-year-old St. Lucie River railroad bridge up to standard, once Brightline's northern expansion takes effect likely this summer.
Starting Monday, the bridge is locked in the down position for 21 days, affecting boats as Brightline completes its Orlando expansion project.
"That's a situation where you've got a big corporate entity working with the government to change something that will hurt smaller companies here on the Okeechobee Waterway," Romence said.
The concern from the marine businesses is that once Brightline runs 32 trains for 16 round trips between South Florida and Orlando, the bridge will only be open to boat traffic for 15 minutes per hour.
"The backup at that bridge, especially on weekends, is going to be tremendous," Scott Watson, of Indiantown Marina, said. "There will be hundreds of boats stacked up on both sides of the bridge and trying to traverse a 50-foot narrow gap at the railroad bridge is going to be dangerous, without question."
U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., voiced his frustration with the Coast Guard, whom he led on a boating tour of the area last summer.
"The Coast Guard has been acquiescing to Brightline and FEC, not worrying at all about what they're doing to destroy this community," Mast said.
A representative from the Army Corps said they do not comment on pending litigation.
The Coast Guard provided the following statement to WPTV:
“The Coast Guard follows the regulatory process established by Congress and will implement a test deviation to determine an operating schedule that best meets the needs of the parties involved. We will remain transparent and consider multiple interests while ensuring safe navigation and reasonable access for mariners.”
