The Fort Pierce Utilities Authority board on Feb. 18 approved a revised memorandum of understanding that removes planned smart kiosks and redirects that funding to expand fiber and free public Wi‑Fi across the downtown footprint.

Jason Mittler, FPUA manager, told the board the amendment replaces the earlier plan for smart poles and kiosks and focuses on extending fiber and a wireless network. “The overall goal of this project was to expand the Smart City Initiative throughout the downtown, which would include fiber and free public Wi Fi,” Mittler said. He told the board the fiber expansion was completed in September 2024 and that, upon approval of the amended MOU, Wi‑Fi will be installed at Riverwalk by March 2025.

The amended footprint extends fiber past Orange Avenue to Citrus Avenue and will add Wi‑Fi from Riverwalk down to the Manatee Center and into Marina Square, Mittler said. The wireless network is intended to support public Internet access and other services the city or public‑safety partners may require. “So when we say Wi Fi, it's really a wireless network. It's not just Internet so anything that the city would desire anything that you could dream of from a smart city service can also traverse that wireless network,” Mittler said.

Board members asked whether the change required additional budget authority; Mittler said there are no budget changes tied to the amendment and that reallocating the kiosk funds to infrastructure “ends up creating additional revenues.” The board also discussed the removed kiosk element: staff had worked with two kiosk vendors and concluded ownership, advertising permits and content management responsibilities could not be resolved with the city and vendors.

Mrs. Gibbons, a board member, asked whether the change eliminates kiosks; Mittler replied, “That is correct.” Mrs. Gibbons and other board members said they hoped community partners — including the Downtown Business Alliance, the Fort Pierce Redevelopment Agency and the Tourist Development Council — could help create the visitor‑facing information services originally envisioned for kiosks, using the city's new wireless infrastructure and smartphone “waypoints.”

The board voted unanimously to approve the amended MOU. Roll call votes recorded “yes” from Mrs. Bennett, Mrs. Davis, Mrs. Gibbons, Mayor Hudson and Chairman Fee.

Staff said FPUA will continue to coordinate with city and county partners, public safety agencies and local business groups to explore how the wireless network can support cameras, public‑safety analytics and visitor information services. The board did not set a separate timetable for additional smart‑city applications beyond the March 2025 Riverwalk target.

Additional background: the original MOU was signed May 3, 2021; a prior amendment that replaced smart poles with four smart kiosks was signed July 11, 2023. The current amendment removes the kiosks and repurposes those funds to expand fiber and a wireless footprint already completed to Citrus Avenue.