Stuart Main Street hosted a panel discussion reflecting on downtown Stuart’s revival efforts that began in the 1980s and called for continued funding and community involvement to preserve the area’s historic character.

Panelists recounted how local efforts and state programs helped reverse downtown decline: community fundraising to hire a Main Street manager, use of a Community Development Block Grant, and coordinated restoration projects that included the Lyric Theater and post office arcade. Panelists cited the Florida Main Street program — launched in 1985 — as a catalyst for preserving architecture and strengthening the local economy.

Blake Fontaneira, author of the book Saving Stuart, was introduced during the event and was cited by the moderator for documenting a rise in downtown occupancy from about 20% in 1986 to 100% in 1995. Panelists and historical accounts presented at the event credited a Downtown Redevelopment Advisory Committee and local business leaders with organizing rapid fundraising in 1985, raising $25,000 in roughly two weeks to pay a Main Street manager’s salary and make the city eligible for additional grants.

Speakers described several administrative and civic steps taken during the revival: the Downtown Redevelopment Advisory Committee’s formation in April 1985; city hiring of a manager for the Main Street program; an allocation that set the program manager’s salary later at $20,000; and appointment of Donna L. Reininger as Main Street coordinator in 1987. The program manager’s first assignment included coordinating July 4 celebrations as part of efforts to reinvigorate downtown activity.

Panelists also discussed institutional decisions in the mid-1980s that shaped downtown development. The audience heard that county commissioners approved a measure by a 4-1 vote to support placing a new courthouse in downtown Stuart while investigating jail location options; Sheriff James Holt reportedly requested a roughly 40-acre site for a campus-style jail. Commissioner Maggie Verchalla cast the lone dissenting vote on keeping courthouse and jail together in downtown Stuart, according to the historical account presented at the panel.

Participants highlighted specific restoration projects and local businesses involved in the era: fundraising and community work supported rebuilding Fellowship Hall, restoring and purchasing the Lyric Theater, and preserving storefronts such as Raines’ department store (in operation since 1924 until its closing noted in the panel discussion). Panelists named local contributors and leaders from that period, and several speakers stressed that ongoing “nurturing” and sufficient funding are necessary to sustain downtown gains.

Organizers used the event to underscore the need to document local history while longtime participants are still available to tell their stories. The panel closed with a call for continued volunteer engagement and funding; Audra Creech, introduced as a fourth-generation Martin County resident and a new Stuart Main Street board member, was acknowledged for joining the organization’s leadership and assisting with future initiatives.

No formal motions or votes were taken during the panel. The session was presented as a community history and outreach event rather than a legislative or administrative meeting.