FORT PIERCE, Fla. — Along Orange Avenue and Kings Highway in Fort Pierce sits a massive twisted and torn apart warehouse.
“It was something that was finally going to be mid-county that some of the residents from Fort Pierce and out west could have been able to come in here and have a job," said St. Lucie County Commissioner, Cathy Townsend.
The 1.1 million square-foot warehouse was called the South Florida Logistics Center 95. It was meant to be a distribution facility for e-commerce and third-party logistics users.
Here is what the warehouse looked like on Oct. 10, 2024, after the tornado outbreak ahead of Hurricane Milton:
Nearby neighbors remember that afternoon all too well.
"Everything got tight and drier and cooler, and it was almost like a high-pitched feel to everything," Bill Whitehead said.
Today, the wreckage remains— fenced off and empty.
"We are working with the property owner to get that cleaned up," said Erick Gill, St. Lucie County Communications Director. "We have started the code enforcement process just to make sure they go through with it."
County documents posted on-site reveal an active code enforcement case ordering Stonemont Financial, the property owner based in Atlanta, to appear before a Special Magistrate Judge next month in St. Lucie County.
The county says the cleanup triggered the enforcement case. Failure to follow orders could result in a $250 daily fine.
"They seem confident, they are ready to move forward and got their insurance taken care of," Gill said.
WPTV reporter Brooke Chau called Stonemont Financial to see what the status update was in terms of the permits needed to get rid of the damaged building. The company explained that they have gotten approval from insurance to demolish the warehouse for the safety of residents, drivers and businesses in that area.
Stonemont Financial is currently in the process of getting a permit to demolish the building, and then will look to rebuild, which will require an additional permit. Stonemont Financial will be in St. Lucie County on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 9 a.m. for the Special Magistrate Public Hearing at the Annex Building.
