Port St. Lucie City Council chooses new site for 9/11 artifacts after controversy

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - A special committee recommended two steel beams from the World Trade Center should be displayed at Port St. Lucie City Hall and the Civic Center .

The committee suggested the larger of the two, which is about 10-feet in length, should be erected outside City Hall. 

A couple 9/11 first responders and a 9/11 memorial organizer spoke at the Port St. Lucie City Council meeting Tuesday night, opposing the City Hall location. They said more visibility is what the artifacts need, and the only place to get that is at the Civic Center.

"The 10-foot piece does belong at the Civic Center, where we hold our memorial every September 11," said Al Hickey, who was a detective with the New York City Police Department on Sept. 11, 2001. "This is where more people will see it."

The Civic Center is the site of community gatherings, such as dances, talent shows, festivals and parades. 

City Council members agreed with the 9/11 advocates through a unanimous vote, choosing the Civic Center as the site for both steel beams.

They also voted for the smaller of the two artifacts to be made into a portable mobile that could travel for educational purposes.