Brightline, Florida’s private intercity rail service, has launched a formal request for proposals for a new station along the state’s Treasure Coast.
The southeastern Florida region encompasses Indian River, Martin and St. Lucie counties, north of Palm Beach County and South Florida proper. The area received its moniker from the ruins of colonial-era Spanish treasure ships wrecked along the coast and rediscovered by gold-seeking treasure hunters over the course of the 1960s and 1970s.
Now, Brightline is looking for treasure of its own, with proposals being solicited from private and public landowners that control property in St. Lucie or Martin counties along the Florida East Coast Railway corridor, which Brightline uses for the majority of its routes between Orlando and South Florida.
The Treasure Coast station would be the seventh on Brightline’s route. The intercity passenger rail line currently operates stations in Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach and a new Orlando station that opened in September.
Brightline’s stations have been catalysts for higher-density projects in their respective areas, with developers aiming to leverage their connectivity for transit-oriented style developments, allowing nearby residents to live in one city but commute via higher-speed rail to work in another.
Criteria from the RFP include a minimum 2-acre site, the ability to accommodate 200 parking spaces in either a structured or surface lot, be directly adjacent to the railway right of way, be at least 100 feet away from any at-grade crossings, including whether zoning permits building by right or require modification, and the property must be located outside of the excluded area between South Colorado Avenue and Alice St. in Stuart, away from the St. Lucie River Railroad Bridge.
The RFP also asks that submitted proposals outline the financial details of any proposed development and whether property owners would sell or lease the land to Brightline. The company owns the land at its Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach stations. The company pays $1 monthly and $1 annually to Miami-Dade County and the city of Boca Raton to lease the land for the Aventura and Boca Raton stations, respectively. In Orlando, Brightline leases the space for its station from the airport directly.
The proposed Treasure Coast station will satisfy the terms of Brightline's 2018 settlement with Martin County that included concessions such as safety enhancements along the tracks, Quiet Zones, assistance paying rail-related maintenance costs, splitting the costs of building a new train station and ensuring one gets built within five years of the onset of revenue service between West Palm Beach and Orlando.
A timeline issued by Brightline includes meeting with St. Lucie County on Nov. 28 and on Nov. 29 with Martin County. Brightline will host one-on-one meetings for eligible proposal applicants in each county. Proposal submissions are due by Dec. 22. The company aims to begin negotiations with property owners early next year.
“Expanding Brightline into the Treasure Coast region will make Brightline one of the most accessible forms of transportation in Florida, giving access to nearly half of the state’s residents,” said Michael Reininger, CEO of Brightline, in a press release.