Secretary Lee Designates Main Street Fort Pierce as Florida Main Street Program of the Month

Tallahassee –

Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee announced today that Main Street Fort Pierce has been designated the August 2019 Florida Main Street Program of the Month. Programs are selected based on their development achievements and participation in the Florida Main Street program.

“Main Street Fort Pierce has been a part of the Florida Main Street program for more than thirty years,” said Secretary Lee. “They continue to be an inspiration for other programs throughout the state due to their hard work and dedication to their community.”

                                                           Fort Pierce City Marina, Fort Pierce, Fl

Fort Pierce, also called the Sunrise City, is located in St. Lucie County on Florida’s Treasure Coast. The city was named after Colonel Benjamin Kendrick Pierce, brother to the 14th U.S. President Franklin Pierce, who established a U.S. Army fort nearby during the Second Seminole War.

Main Street Fort Pierce became a designated Main Street community in 1988. Since their designation, 175 new businesses have opened, 745 jobs have been created and more than $202.5 million in combined public and private dollars have been invested in the downtown area. Main Street Fort Pierce has seen many accomplishments over the past 31 years, including the restoration of the iconic Sunrise Theater that had closed its doors in 1983. The Sunrise Theater, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was purchased by Main Street Fort Pierce in 1997 and reopened as a fully functional theater in 2006.

Currently, Main Street Fort Pierce is focusing on a new community art project titled “Fish Fence” that kicked off during their Art Walk in late June. The “Fish Fence” surrounds the area of a new development project which will include a hotel, condominiums, townhomes and more than 60,000 square feet of office and retail space in downtown Fort Pierce. Hand-painted wooden fish swimming in different directions adorn a long construction fence to encourage visitors to explore both downtown and Edgartown. The project has ignited and united various groups of the community from the local high school shop class that cut the figures to the local businesses that have hosted painting parties in the downtown area.

"I have been so fortunate to work for a Board of Directors who make the most of every crazy idea we have come up with,” said Executive Director Doris Tillman. “To have our program in a city that is so generous and supportive is truly fantastic. Main Street Fort Pierce’s accomplishments would not have been possible without the continued support from our city, our board, and our local community members."

For more information about Main Street Fort Pierce, please visit mainstreetfortpierce.org or facebook.com/main.pierce. For more information about the Florida Main Street, please visit floridamainstreet.com or facebook.com/FloridaMainStreet.

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About Florida Main Street                                                                                                              Florida Main Street is a program administered by the Division of Historical Resources under the Florida Department of State, which currently oversees 46 communities through the state. By implementing the National Main Street Center’s Four-Point Approach©, Florida Main Street encourages economic development within the context of historic preservation through the revitalization of Florida’s downtowns – the community’s heart and soul.