STUART, Fla. — Nearly two weeks after the opening of a new Costco in Stuart, early concerns about traffic and parking congestion are beginning to ease, according to residents and law enforcement.
Located near South Kanner Highway and Southeast Legacy Way, the store drew significant crowds when it first opened. During opening weekend, Stuart police issued 31 parking tickets for violations, including parking near fire hydrants, in fire lanes, and on the roadside, which obstructed traffic.
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“I saw a whole bunch of people in the grass because there was no parking in any of the spots,” said Stuart resident Jeffrey Laws.
“There were like tons of people on the actual site parking like up and down everywhere just trying to find a spot,” said Angie Register, another Stuart resident.
Since then, conditions appear to have improved. Stuart police say no new parking tickets have been issued in the past week.
“We got to the store about noon on Sunday they open at 10. There was no trouble parking, no line to get in. There was lines to check out,” said Beth Glener of Palm City.
“I expected it to be a mad house and to be honest with you, it was busy, but it was a lot better than I expected. I was in and out, really not much problems at all,” said Troy Smith of Port St. Lucie.
Some local residents say the traffic impact has been less significant than anticipated.
“I haven’t had any issues parking or anything like that in the last week,” said Carson Register of Stuart.
“There’s a lot of traffic on Kanner but it hasn’t been more or less since Costco,” added Angie Register.
“I’d say it’s been pretty steady. I wouldn't say much has changed just because people are like going in and out so it’s pretty much just been chill on the main road,” said Jeffrey Laws.
Although opening weekend brought significant activity and parking violations, the traffic seems to have stabilized for now, offering some reassurance to residents who braced for long-term congestion.
