Stuart Brightline station hits a snag, but opening expected to remain on schedule

STUART — Progress on the Brightline station here has hit a snag, but opening of the station likely still is on schedule, city officials said Wednesday.

The station could open as soon as 2026.

Two agreements between the city and Brightline are delayed while the city waits for the county to transfer ownership of the land for the station to Stuart, according to the city.

"We cannot enter into an agreement to lease land that we do not own nor control," Stuart spokeswomen Misti Guertin said by email Wednesday.

Martin County owns the 2.35 acres at 500 Southeast Flagler Ave., where the station is to be built. According to previous agreements, the county is to transfer that property to city ownership, and the city is to lease it to the railroad.

The two pending agreements consist of the property lease to Brightline and a development agreement, which spells out the terms and conditions between Brightline and Stuart for developing the land for the station.

City Manager Michael Mortell said he expects the agreements to go before the City Commission no sooner than Aug. 18.

But first, the county must modify a 2018 lawsuit settlement with Brightline.

In exchange for the county agreeing to drop a lawsuit against Brightline, the company, in part, agreed in 2018 to build a station in either Martin or St. Lucie County after full passenger service between West Palm Beach and Orlando had begun. That service started in September.

"(The agreement) has to show we are no longer adversarial," explained George Stokus, Martin County assistant administrator, on Wednesday.

Modifications to the settlement agreement are close to being completed, Stokus said.

"While this is a delay, it should not negatively impact Brightline’s timeline since they were not planning to begin construction until January or February 2025," Guertin said.

At Monday's Stuart City Commission meeting, a member of the public asked commissioners for an update on construction of the station. Mayor Becky Bruner avoided answering directly, instead saying someone would be in touch some time in the future.

Brightline officials declined to comment for this story.

Keith Burbank is TCPalm's watchdog reporter covering Martin County. He can be reached at keith.burbank@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Stuart Brightline station hits a snag, but opening expected to remain on schedule