A war is raging inside a tiny Florida enclave, between devoted locals and a big-name developer, over plans to revive an abandoned stretch of land and turn it into a lucrative tourist hot spot.
The 5.5-acre plot in Jensen Beach, FL, an unincorporated riverfront town not far from Port St. Lucie, is currently home to a few small, boarded-up buildings, including an abandoned apartment complex and a former store—all of which have been ravaged by storms, salt air, and graffiti.
Yet the so-called “ghost town,” which locals proudly describe as a “small drinking town with a big fishing problem,” is worth fighting for, according to its residents, who are waging a fierce battle against Fort Meyers-based developer, Riverlight Development LLC, and its plans to construct a commercial mecca on the plot…