BUSINESS
working on corporate jets as well as large airliners, yacht
owners can fly in on their private jets and have them serviced
at the airport while visiting their yachts. Whether they do or
don’t want to work on the smaller jets, such as the Embraer,
Payne says that the success of the hangar will lure other companies
16
that want maintenance hangars too, and the airport
has plenty of room for them.
“The time has come,” says Payne. “The maintenance,
repair and overhaul facilities in South Florida are almost out
of room. This is especially true for the mega-yachts. Here at
the port we have room and direct access to the ocean with no
obstacles in the way. And it’ll cost less to operate here.”
Negotiations with the chosen mega-yacht repair company,
Derecktor Shipyard, should be complete in February, says
John Koenig, spokesman for the Dania-based company, which
also committed to moving its headquarters to Fort Pierce.
But the county and city are expected to end up with two
mega-yacht facilities at the port because the company that
wasn’t selected, Fort Pierce Yacht and Ship, purchased a little
more than an acre on the port waterfront and plans to open
its own mega-yacht refit and repair company there.
Buddy Haack, of Fort Pierce Yacht and Ship, ran a megayacht
repair and refitting business at the port in 2015-16
but wasn’t able to secure a long-term lease from the private
owners. Since then, the county purchased the 12-acre working
waterfront of the port, along with the King Terminal,
formerly the Indian River Terminal, and now plans to lease
it to Derecktor. That didn’t deter Haack and partners from
opening their own business from private property adjacent to
the port waters.
John Koenig of Derecktor says Fort Pierce presented a good
opportunity for them. “In Fort Pierce we can serve a different
market beyond the 200-foot yachts and 900 tons we are limited
to at the other shipyard,” he says. The company plans to
install a lift that can handle 1,000 tons or more to haul boats
out of the water. He expects to be able to work on six to eight
ships at once, both in and out of the water.
The city, meanwhile, seeks to build a seaplane base at
Veterans Memorial Park with the hope of creating a thriving
business that will bring more pilots and visitors into the
downtown. Flights taking off from there may go to the Bahamas
or other destinations, says Hudson, pointing out the success
of Tavares, a small town in the middle of the state whose
economy blossomed after a seaplane base was installed on
Lake Eustis.
The base, which could be located by the shuffleboard
courts at Veterans Memorial Park, could cost between
$350,000 and $500,000. The city is looking for funding to help >>
ST. LUCIE COUNTY
This is what the $7.4-million hangar St. Lucie County is building at the airport
will look like. It will handle planes the size of a Boeing 737 or Airbus
A320 plus a corporate jet the size of an Embraer 175.
Integrity & Financial
Responsibility
Since 1905
FRANK H. FEE, III,
E. CLAYTON YATES
and FRANK “HANK” FEE, IV
ARE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT
PATRICIA L. DIAZ, ESQ.
Formerly Assistant United States Attorney for the
Southern District of Florida will become of
Counsel to them in the General Practice of Law
Her practice areas include Federal Practice, Civil Litigation,
Criminal Litigation, Criminal Defense, Civil and Criminal Forfeiture,
Internal Corporate Investigations, and Dispute Resolution
EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2019
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A Partnership of Professional Corporations
ATTORNEYS AT LAW SINCE 1905
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