Rio Waterfront Site, Empty Since 2004 Hurricanes, Finally Breaks Ground

N.E. Dixie Hwy. — Approximate Pedestrian Connection to Waterfront

A stretch of St. Lucie River waterfront in Rio that has sat empty since 2004 is finally being rebuilt. Developers broke ground Thursday on Rio Marine Village, a mixed-use project planned for the site where a hotel, restaurant and marina once stood before hurricanes tore them apart more than two decades ago.

According to WPBF 25 News, the property has sat vacant since 2004, when Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne devastated parts of Florida and destroyed the hotel, restaurant and marina that once occupied the waterfront site. The station reports the project is planned for 16 acres along the St. Lucie River, with developers saying they have obtained the necessary permits and completed construction documents, and that the build is expected to take about two years.

Jolynne Jensen, who is with the Rio Civic Club, told WPBF 25 News the property was a restaurant, marina and hotel destroyed in the 2004 hurricanes, and that the community has waited years for it to be revitalized. She said the project represents a new chapter for the community, opening up the river view to everyone and allowing people to walk and bike through the development rather than being shut out by a private gate.

What the Rebuilt Waterfront Will Include Charles Modica, the developer behind Rio Marine Village, said per WPBF 25 News that he was proud to participate in revitalizing Rio, a community developed in 1893, and that the project will reinvigorate the area and make the water accessible for all residents. The project, as described to the station, will provide residents greater access to the waterfront and will be open to the public rather than operating as a private gated community.

Planning records show the project moving through Martin County's approval process well before Thursday's groundbreaking. A Nov. 4, 2025, county meeting agenda, reviewed by Hoodline via Martin County's Board of County Commissioners records, listed a request from Rio South Dixie, LLC for final site plan approval for Phase I, the east phase, of Rio Marine Village. That phase, the agenda states, is generally located south of NE Dixie Highway, north of the St. Lucie River and east of NE Martin Avenue, and contains two live/work buildings, eight multifamily buildings, one townhome building, and a marina clubhouse and pool.

A Second Phase and a Separate Proposal on the Books The same agenda also listed a request for final site plan approval for Phase II, the west phase, which the county's records describe as containing one retail building, two restaurant buildings, one mixed-use building, dock slips and outside boat storage. Separately, the agenda materials describe another Rio Marine Village proposal on an approximately 14.34-acre undeveloped parcel calling for 145 residential units made up of multifamily, townhome and live/work units, according to the county's records. It is not established in the available county materials whether that proposal and the phased site-plan requests refer to identical project scopes.

The project has a longer planning history than Thursday's groundbreaking suggests. A master plan for the eastern portion of the project was first approved in 2018, according to a 2022 report from WFLX. Martin County commissioners unanimously approved a revised version of the plan on Feb. 1, 2022, with that version reported to include 192 residential units, three restaurants housed in two buildings, marine and retail buildings, and refurbished boat basins.

That 2022 revision added six acres of upland area and shoreline extending west, the station reported, along with another boat basin and a stretch of natural shoreline meant to remain as beach access to the river. Coverage at the time described a shift in the developer's vision, moving from a gated community toward a traditional neighborhood with public access to the waterfront, with a boardwalk and pedestrian walkways planned to connect the waterfront area to NE Dixie Highway. It is not established whether the unit counts and acreage from that 2022 plan match the phases and parcel described in the county's 2025 agenda materials.

What Comes Next for Rio For residents like Jensen, the years of waiting are now giving way to construction equipment on a site that locals have watched sit empty since the storms of 2004. The project's backers describe it as a long-delayed reopening of a community landmark, one meant to put the river back within reach of the people who live around it.

Rio Waterfront Site, Empty Since 2004 Hurricanes, Finally Breaks Ground

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