FORT PIERCE — Land along Ten Mile Creek, west of Florida’s Turnpike, owned by former Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins quarterback Bernie Kosar, may be auctioned as part of a bankruptcy settlement.

To satisfy creditors of his companies and investments, Bloomberg.com is reporting that Kosar filed a plan last week that would include auctioning 140 acres of the proposed development called Creekside.

The undeveloped land is owned by Kosar’s company BJK.
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ST. LUCIE COUNTY — A 22-year-old horse abandoned by T&T Land Ltd. after the company’s 29 acres were acquired by St. Lucie County International Airport will be sold to a qualified bidder at an auction next month.

The horse was left behind when the property owner moved on Aug. 17 after saying he had tried but was unable to find a new home for the horse. The county agreed to find him a home.

In the meantime, the horse is being well cared for, even spoiled, by airport workers and other county staff members who are experienced with horses, said airport director Diana Lewis.

“He’s a nice horse, and he is very friendly to my staff,” Lewis said. “We’d like to get him into a good home.”
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MARTIN COUNTY — If you’re looking to outfit your office, you can do it for bargain-basement prices at the first Martin County Surplus Items E-Auction, running now through July 20.

A variety of desk chairs, file cabinets, computer monitors, and printers are among the 75 items for sale at www.lonestaronline.com. Bids start at $5.

This is the first time the county government has hosted an online auction, according to Martin County procurement specialist Helen Fisher. In the past, Karlin Daniel & Associates hosted a yearly auction of the county’s declared surplus items, but now county officials plan to host multiple online auctions at more frequent intervals.
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ST. LUCIE COUNTY — More than a year after developers of the planned Cloud Grove had the county put the controversial 12,000-home project “on hold,” their creditor has added it to the Treasure Coast’s ranks of foreclosed properties.

“I imagine this pretty much closes any opportunities for that project,” St. Lucie County Commission Chairwoman Paula Lewis said this week.

MLIC Asset Holdings LLC, of Morristown, N.J., an affiliate of the lender, Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., filed the foreclosure suit in Circuit Court on Nov. 26, accusing the developers of failing to pay on a $48 million mortgage.

MLIC is scheduled to auction the Cloud Grove land to the “highest and best bidder” at 11 a.m. June 24 in the St. Lucie County Courthouse.

Officials from Lennar Homes, who were managing the project in a partnership with Centex Homes, could not be reached for comment. (more…)

VERO BEACH — Indian River County Administrator Joe Baird refused to take a Breathalyzer test but failed most of the sobriety exercises he performed Saturday when he was charged with driving under the influence, according to an arrest affidavit released Monday.

While Baird faces some legal consequences for the charge, county officials said the matter wouldn’t have professional ramifications.
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STUART — The Stuart Jeep and Stuart Volkswagen dealerships on U.S. 1 are going out of business on Friday as a result of the economic downturn and the Chrysler bankruptcy.

The owner of the dealership, Tom Willett, made the announcement Wednesday afternoon to about 70 workers, said Mark Babcock, a Jeep service manager who lives in Port St. Lucie.

Willett attributed the closing largely to the Chrysler bankruptcy, which will result in the closing of dealerships throughout the country, Babcock said. Stuart Jeep was vulnerable because it was a standalone dealership that did not include the auto maker’s Chrysler or Dodge brands.

“We all gave Mr. Willett a round of applause,” Babcock said. “We knew he tried his best for us. Tom Willett was a great owner. You can’t fault the guy. He tried to do everything he could.”

The dealership employed about 70 people, mainly salespeople, mechanics, detailers, officer workers and managers, Babcock said.

“It’s like a family type organization,” Babcock said.

The Jeep and Volkswagen dealerships will close for good at 5 p.m. Friday and the remaining automobiles will be returned to the manufacturers or sold through an auction, Babcock said.

“It’s been a good 14-year run,” Babcock said. “We survived hurricanes. If we had Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge, we might’ve stood a chance. That’s just the way it is. It’s sad, but it’s also business.”

By George Andreassi, TCPalm.com

While foreclosure actions on the Treasure Coast continued to fall during the first quarter of this year from the last quarter of 2008, the numbers for March indicate a resurgence.

Foreclosure actions — default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions — were down 18.5 percent in Indian River County, 3.3 percent in St. Lucie County and up 1.1 percent in Martin County in the first quarter compared with the last quarter of 2008, according to U.S. Foreclosure Market Report released today by RealtyTrac (realtytrac.com). Those first-quarter numbers were still up 40 percent to 68 percent from a year ago.

But foreclosure actions in March rose 71 percent from February in Indian River County and 48 percent in St. Lucie County, though they declined 6 percent in Martin County.
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An Asheville, N.C.-based company paid $3.8 million this month for Freedom Plastics Inc.’s plant in Fort Pierce.

Pipe manufacturer Silver-Line Plastics intends to refurbish the 100,000 square feet and may rehire some of the 33 workers who lost their jobs there, according to Chief Financial Officer Bill Beard. (more…)

Freedom Plastics Inc. has warned the state that it will lay off the remaining 33 workers at its Fort Pierce plant, but company executives are hopeful that new owners can keep the staff on board.

The Janesville, Wis.-based pipe manufacturer recently filed for bankruptcy in Wisconsin and is planning a March 2 auction of its assets in Milwaukee. All three of its plants — in Fort Pierce, Janesville and Preston, Idaho — are part of the sale. (more…)

PORT ST. LUCIE — Former President Jimmy Carter cruised the St. Lucie River, mingled with friends and family at the local Club Med resort and helped raise more than $800,000 on Saturday to support the Carter Center.

Carter, his wife, Rosalynn, and some of his children and grandchildren were in town this past weekend for the annual “Winter Weekend,” an event for supporters of the non-profit, Atlanta-based Carter Center, which promotes peace and health worldwide. (more…)