New training capabilities, private and public investment, and an unprecedented inventory of available space has combined to position the southeastern Florida community of St. Lucie County in the epicenter of advanced manufacturing’s future.
With an 18.5% population growth over the last decade, St. Lucie County is one of the fastest-growing communities in Florida. Business-friendly local government and the county’s prime location midway between Miami and Orlando on Interstate 95 and Florida’s Turnpike have attracted hundreds of millions of dollars in investment from nationally known industrial developers constructing more than 6 million square feet of new Class-A industrial space, suited for advanced manufacturing and logistics operations.
Indian River State College (IRSC) is opening a state-of-the-art advanced workforce training complex this summer on its main campus in Fort Pierce, the county seat. This 50,000-square-foot facility will house an Advanced Manufacturing Hub created to address the looming shortage of workforce in precision machining, industrial automation systems, integrated smart-factory operations, supply chain automation and logistics.
“The resurgence and reshoring of manufacturing across our nation is accelerating, and the Eastman Advanced Workforce Training Complex will make sure that our region has the highly skilled labor to meet current and future needs,” said IRSC President Tim Moore, PhD. “We can realize tremendous economic growth in manufacturing and the industrial trade fields, but we first need to grow the pipeline of talent.”
The Hub recently partnered with the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation—a Manufacturing USA institute—to establish America’s Cutting Edge program to deliver free online and in-person training in computerized numerical control machining (CNC). The first cohort of this partnership graduated this April.
“We are thrilled to offer manufacturing programs at IRSC that are synergetic with the needs of local business and industry,” said Natalia Chekhovskaya, IRSC Advanced Manufacturing Hub executive director. “This program provides opportunities with in-demand careers and a sustainable future for residents of our community.”
In addition, the St. Lucie School District ranks fifth in the state for career and technical education programs, offering 36 academies and 58 programs including pre-engineering, emerging technology, cybersecurity, industrial biotechnology and more.
Abundant manufacturing space is available for lease or build-to-suit by the nation’s top development companies. Ten industrial parks, all with easy highway access, offer millions of square feet, from shovel-ready sites to completed Class-A facilities ready for immediate lease.
Top-ten developer the Sansone Group is building out the county’s largest business park in Port St. Lucie, Florida’s seventh largest city. Legacy Park at Tradition is a 425-acre park that will ultimately house more than 5.4 million square feet of industrial space. FedEx Ground and Amazon are currently operating, and a facility for broadline food distributor Cheney Brothers nearing completion. Earlier this year, the Sansone Group completed a 168,000-square-foot rear-load facility with leases available from 16,000 square feet. A 520,000-square-foot cross-dock facility is currently under construction.
Itasca Construction Associates is nearing completion on a 207,458-square-foot facility for JBL Asset Management designed specifically for mid-sized operations from 20,000 square feet and up. Next door, a Silverman Group facility of over a million square feet is ready for occupancy. Nearby a 658,000-square-foot building and a million-square-foot facility are under construction and a 287,500-square-foot six-building manufacturing/light industrial complex is currently leasing.
“Not only does St. Lucie County have abundant space for manufacturers to choose from, we have a local workforce of 158,000-plus and a regional workforce of more than 315,000,” said Pete Tesch, president of the Economic Development Council of St. Lucie County. “With our community focused on workforce readiness, wage rates that reflect a 30% savings versus the closest metro market, and the most affordable housing prices in South Florida by far, St. Lucie County is a great location for advanced manufacturing.”
Accel International, a high-performance conductor manufacturer, operates three vertically integrated factories in Connecticut and Indiana. Construction on the company’s fourth facility, a 150,000-square-foot purpose-built manufacturing facility in Port St. Lucie, was completed in January and equipment installation is under way. Accel plans to employ 125 at this location.
Itasca Construction Associates completed the fast lane docking style tilt wall facility in 10 months. The energy-efficient plant is white boxed with impact windows, LED lighting and R19 roofing insulation. The building is sited on 40 acres with pad-ready room for future expansion.
Accel joins OCULUS Surgical, a Germany-based ophthalmologic precision instrument manufacturer currently expanding in the same business park, several high-end marine industry manufacturers that operate plants in Fort Pierce, and multiple agriscience, transportation and building products manufacturers.
Connect With Us
