STUART, Fla. – In a strange way, both sides won.

If you want a Brightline train station in Stuart, you can get it.

If he didn’t want the city of Stuart to spend millions of dollars on construction, that’s also the case now.

There were boxes of yellow T-shirts outside the Martin County Commission chambers for supporters to wear Tuesday, and pro-Brightline signs.

“This is an economic driver for the county for decades to come,” said supporter Sherry Lee.

The county commission voted unanimously Tuesday in favor of a new agreement with the railroad company.

“It will be a great addition to the city. “It’s for the future, not the past,” said Glenn Kellis.

The deal is contingent on a $15 million commitment from the county, as well as securing grants for the remainder of the $45 million station project, which is expected to be operational by 2028.

“We still have a lot of work to do, but we know today was a big milestone in building a station here in Martin County,” said Ben Porritt, senior vice president of Brightline.

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The new agreement will see Brightline trains stop more frequently in Stuart, with a total of at least eight northbound and southbound trains stopping in the first quarter of operation. Brightline will also build an additional 6.6 miles of fencing for security.

Jim Fithian hoped the county vote would not be unanimous and said it is not wise to rely on grants to fund the Brightline project.

“You are a for-profit organization. “You guys are supposed to make money and you should pay for the station,” Fithian said.

Present was Stuart City Commissioner Christopher Collins, who led the movement to break the city’s agreement with Brightline. He told me he didn’t want to speak there, but later Tuesday he made some comments at the Stuart City Commission meeting.

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“I was disappointed, but not surprised, that the board of county commissioners rushed to approve the Brightline article before the newly elected commissioners take their seats on Tuesday,” Collins said.

Collins also told the crowd that the $30 million Stuart was going to spend on the train can now be reinvested in the city.

We also received a statement from Stuart Mayor Campbell Rich saying, in part, “I am absolutely thrilled that the county has committed to providing a service that will dramatically improve our quality of life.”

He added: “Now I just hope the city can find a way to work with the county to ensure we receive the greatest support through federal and state government grants to complete this project.”