SMALL BUSINESS
of four jobs and account for 43.5 percent of the state’s gross
domestic product (GDP), according to the Florida Department
of Economic Opportunity.
The latest figures, from 2015, show that there were nearly
75,900 small businesses with fewer than 50 employees in the
Treasure Coast: about 32,500 in St. Lucie, 21,800 in Martin,
18,600 in Indian River and 3,000 in Okeechobee counties,
reports the Florida SBDC network, which has headquarters in
Pensacola and regional offices throughout the state, including
one at Indian River State College.
Given the bulge in spending and business activity during the
winter season, many businesses find it is imperative to make
most of their money during that time.
One such business is Fort Pierce KOA, owned by Brian Bacher,
who has a small campground north of downtown Fort Pierce
and plans to open a much larger one in the fall of 2020 at the
corner of Jenkins Road and Edwards Road in Fort Pierce.
While the Treasure Coast was largely spared the wrath of
Hurricane Dorian in early September, it killed business in the
normally lucrative Labor Day weekend for Fort Pierce KOA,
Bacher says. “I had to cancel all the reservations and refund all
the money. It hurts.”
Bacher hopes his ability to recover from single events, such
as the Labor Day washout, will be alleviated when he opens the
larger campground. His first location has 35 sites on 3.5 acres.
His second location will have 320 sites on 56 acres.
Small businesses employed 3.4 million people in Florida as
of mid-2018, according to the latest figure from the U.S. Small
Business Administration Office of Advocacy. No figure for total
small business employment was available for the four-county >>
2019 TRIM NOTICE
Open your TRIM Notice to view the following important information:
. Market & Assessed Value of your property as of January 1, 2019
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Fort Pierce Office
2300 Virginia Avenue, Room 107
Fort Pierce, FL 34982
Phone: 772.462.1000
Make an appointment online
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Saint Lucie West Office
250 NW Country Club Drive
Port Saint Lucie, FL 34986
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GREG GARDNER
Vice President and General Manager Jed Wood oversees the various renovations
and repairs at Whiticar Boat Works.
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