State Rep. Dana Trabulsy told Fort Pierce city commissioners Monday that the proposed Causeway Cove development does not meet the zoning requirements of Florida's Live Local Act, the same law she supported in 2023 that allows developers to bypass local height and density restrictions. The Causeway Cove project would transform the existing Causeway Cove Marina into a mixed-use development featuring more than 900 apartments and condos, restaurants, and a hotel tower reaching nearly 200 feet in height.
Trabulsy said a mapping error incorrectly designated portions of the Causeway Cove site as commercial zoning when they should be classified as aquatic development. The Live Local Act permits developers to exceed local height and density limits only in commercial and mixed-use zones, provided they dedicate 40% of residential units to affordable housing for at least 30 years. The aquatic development zoning classification would prevent the project from utilizing Live Local Act provisions, potentially forcing developers to comply with Fort Pierce's original height and density restrictions.
Fort Pierce City Commissioner Michael Broderick questioned whether such a significant zoning issue would have escaped state oversight during the approval process. When Trabulsy urged commissioners to rescind the project's approval and pursue legal action, Broderick expressed skepticism about the city's chances of success in court, saying he does not see an angle of attack that would not cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions of dollars, to fight.