STUART, Fla. — As large crowds gather at Stuart city hall, anxiously awaiting the fate of the city's future Brightline station, WPTV is checking to see if pulling out of the deal is actually cheaper.
In February, Brightline announced it picked Stuart over Fort Pierce as the new location for its Treasure Coast station, and it was less than a month ago on Aug. 12 when the city officially approved its agreement with Brightline to lease a spot downtown near the county courthouse at 500 Southeast Flagler Avenue.
Then, in a meeting Aug. 26, commissioners unanimously decided to take a re-vote on the deal, as taxpayers began to voice concern about the up to $30 million cost Stuart could shell out.
"To me its a very easy decision to make," Stuart Mayor Campbell Rich told WPTV's Kate Hussey Friday.
Rich said he's very much in favor of going through with the agreement, believing the cost of the station will be much cheaper than what taxpayers fear.
We decided to crunch the numbers for ourselves to see which option would actually be cheaper.
The original interlocal agreement between the city, Martin County and Brightline had all three sharing the station's estimated $60 million cost.
Stuart would pay for the $30 million dollar parking garage while the county and Brightline would put in $15 million each to pay for the station's design and development.
However, under the latest agreement, officials will likely scrap the $30 million parking garage, which would cut the cost down from $60 million to $30 million total.
The city and Martin County would split that cost, with Brightline paying for anything over $45 million.
“Which we see as very unlikely that we would get there in that cost," said Rich.
Here's why.
WATCH: Treasure Coast businesses had this to say about Brightline station in Stuart
Boca Raton's 22,000 square-foot station, which is more than double the size of Stuart's proposed 8,750 square foot station, costs about $46 million to build, which included a parking garage.
Plus, the federal government awarded the city a $16.5 million grant, which Brightline matched, in total covering about 70% of the station's cost.
"We struck a great deal for taxpayers. Not every other city will end up with a great deal, but the benefits of having a connection to a major transportation network are untold," Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer told Hussey.
Singer pointed out Stuart may not get the same grants, but if they do, Rich believes the cost could be $13 million or even less, which again, would be split between the city and county.
"The county and the city are splitting $6 million? For the public benefit obtained," said Rich.
Rich also said he felt confident the U.S. Department of Transportation would provide at least some grant money.
The federal government already funded more than 50%of the new St. Lucie River Railroad Bridge and awarded Brightline $25 million dollars for safety improvements during their expansion to Orlando and an additional $15.8 million for their expansion to Tampa.
Yet pulling out of the deal with Brightline, could bring hefty legal fees, proving far more costly than committing to the station.
"Practicing law for 20 years, many years spent as a litigator, there’s always the threat of litigation when one side doesn’t live up to its contractual agreements," said Singer, a former attorney.
Martin County has already spent about $4 million on legal fees to sue Brightline over various elements of its Orlando expansion.
That lawsuit resulted in the settlement agreement, forcing Brightline to place a station on the Treasure Coast within five years of launching service to Orlando.
We reached out to Brightline for comment, but the company has not yet responded. We're still working to get answers.
Read WPTV's previous coverage on Brightline station on Treasure Coast:
Stuart
Stuart rescinds agreements with Martin Co. and Brightline
Region Martin County
Treasure Coast businesses had this to say about Brightline station in Stuart
Travel
What's happening with a proposed Brightline station in Stuart?
Travel
Could Fort Pierce get a Brightline station?
Travel
Future of Brightline in Stuart will be decided this week
Travel
Stuart mayor says Brightline station will cost roughly this much
Travel
