ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — A 1.1 million-square-foot warehouse in St Lucie County is now almost unrecognizable.
“It looks like there was a battle in here and bombs went off and it just exploded everything,” said Cathy Townsend, St. Lucie County commissioner, District 5.
Townsend said she is still shocked about the destruction from an EF3 tornado from Hurricane Milton.
Valued by the county at $61 million, the warehouse took two years to build.
Region St Lucie County
At least 150 homes destroyed in unincorporated St. Lucie County from Milton
“You can look at this building and see how big it was,” said Townsend. “How is something so strong that it bends the rebar in the metal of that building? How does that happen?”
But the destruction packs another punch: Townsend said this building would’ve been a possible distribution center, bringing with it 900 jobs.
“It was going to be big for the people and residents,” said Townsend. “It was something that was finally going to be mid-county that some of the residents from Fort Pierce and out west and north county could have been able to come in here and have a job.”
Townsend said the developer, Stonemont Financial, has already agreed to rebuild.
WPTV reached out to Stonemont Financial, and a spokesperson said they are “assessing the damage and repairs needed to the facility.”
Townsend said she is thankful it’s just the building that’s gone.
“I’m glad that god spared lives, because there was nobody in here,” said Townsend. “That's the good that's come from all of this.”
