Ciampi Moves to Derail Downtown Stuart Brightline Station, Pushing Fairgrounds Relocation

Martin County Commissioner Ed Ciampi called on county staff this week to open talks with Brightline about abandoning the previously agreed-upon downtown Stuart train station site and relocating the facility to the county fairgrounds — a move that splits the commission, divides the business community, and raises fresh questions about the project's survival.

Ciampi made the announcement during Tuesday's commission meeting, citing a swelling budget, a federal navigation conflict, and what he described as irreconcilable community division.

"If a station is deemed too close by the Army Corps of Engineers or the U.S. Coast Guard or whoever is involved, then it comes off the table for me," Ciampi said. "If you move it further south to the fairgrounds, that issue comes totally off the table."

The project's estimated cost has grown to approximately $87 million — a figure Ciampi said he can no longer support at the current proposed location, a parking lot across from the Martin County Courthouse in downtown Stuart.

The federal conflict Ciampi referenced is not minor. The Florida East Coast Railway sent a letter to then-Stuart Mayor Christopher Collins stating that the proposed station violates U.S. Coast Guard rules because it would require the St. Lucie River Railroad bridge to remain down while a train stops at the station — a condition the FEC says it does not support. That constraint, combined with the ongoing St. Lucie River Bridge replacement project, adds a layer of infrastructure conflict the county has yet to resolve.

Despite Ciampi's public call for action, the county clarified that his comments do not constitute official staff direction. Any exploration of a new station location would require a full board discussion and a formal vote before staff could proceed.

The county is also still awaiting word on a federal grant application intended to fund the station — a delay that has already slowed the project and left its financing in limbo.

Downtown business owners are watching closely. Steven Vitale, owner of the Colorado Inn, pushed back hard on the fairgrounds idea.

"Most of the people are going to want to go to downtown Stuart, so why would we want to build a train station that people can't walk to?" Vitale said.

Resident Paul Gedwed was more sympathetic to Ciampi's reasoning. "That's a well-thought-out opinion, because there is a lot of congestion in the proposed location," Gedwed said.

Lisa Freitas, owner of Lisa Gay Fashion on the downtown corridor, took a pragmatic stance. "Just get it done, wherever they decide to put it as long as it's in Martin County," Freitas said.

The Brightline debate was not Tuesday's only flashpoint. The commission voted unanimously to approve a $740,900 water main extension for 64 Lake Grove properties that currently lack public water access — a unanimous win in an otherwise contentious week. And speakers during public comment delivered sharp criticism of recent dredging near Bathtub Beach, warning of environmental damage to nearby coral reefs.

Angela Rantanella of the Hutchinson Island Preservation Initiative told commissioners the reefs are "covered with sand and muck, smothering all living things" and demanded a halt to all dredging activity until proper protections are in place. Commissioner Jason Vargas said he had contacted the county manager about water quality compliance and confirmed that the dredging project has since been completed.

The convergence of the Brightline standoff, reef damage concerns, and a homeless services crisis — advocates are pressing the county to act before House Bill 1365, which prohibits public camping, takes effect — reveals a Martin County Commission navigating multiple crises simultaneously, with no easy votes ahead.

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