FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A new CareerSource center in Fort Pierce is now open.
For months, WPTV has been reporting on the turbulent lead-up to the opening of the new space at the Renaissance Business Park, which was delayed by a lengthy permitting process.
WATCH BELOW: New CareerSource center opens after months of delays
"We're just excited," said Gregory McDonald, the manager of the new career center. "It's taken some time for us to get things going here, but we're finally here. We're settling in."
The new office provides a long-awaited upgrade from the former school building that housed CareerSource on Avenue Q.
"At the other center, you know, due to the size and location, we weren't able to have a full staff," McDonald said. "So now, you know, we can definitely assist our clients a little bit easier and faster by having all staff centralized and in one location."
The center offers a direct hotline for people to connect with the Florida Department of Commerce, which administers the re-employment Assistance program. Job seekers can also find programs to train for a new career, along with workshops to hone their resume and interview skills.
This career center was supposed to open last fall, when CareerSource's Research Coast Region, which serves Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties, closed its Stuart and Vero Beach career centers in late October.
The plan was always to consolidate the region's resources at the more accessible Renaissance location, which sits near a bus stop and Interstate 95 in south Fort Pierce. But when the old offices closed, the new ones weren't ready to open.
Amid the delays, the FloridaCommerce website continued directing job seekers to the shuttered Indian River and Martin County offices. After WPTV contacted them, the agency changed its website months after those offices closed.
By Monday, the FloridaCommerce website was updated with the correct address for the new CareerSource center in Fort Pierce.
"These people are very helpful, and they have knowledge and understanding," said Yasmin Burrell, who got a ride to the career center Monday because she struggled filing for re-employment benefits at home. "They helped me immensely in the few minutes I'm here, and I'm very thankful for that."
CareerSource Research Coast also launched satellite offices at Indian River State College campuses in Martin and Indian River counties, as well as in Port St. Lucie. Services at the satellite offices are available by appointment only.
The FloridaCommerce website does not currently display any information for the satellite offices, but CareerSourceRC.com lists the locations. Officials at CareerSource said they'd follow up with FloridaCommerce to update the state's website as well.
Read more of WPTV's coverage of CareerSource:
WPTV Investigates
CareerSource on the Treasure Coast is closing, for now
WPTV Investigates
Why this new Fort Pierce job center is still not open
WPTV Investigates