Ramon Trias, the city's development director, says he feels sure the commission will eventually pass the ordinance, with some changes. "Requiring retail tenants on the first floor is a growing trend in Florida cities with historic downtowns," Trias tells GlobeSt.com. He says at least 22 cities in the state, including West Palm Beach and South Miami, have enacted similar ordinances.

The reason for the ordinance, Trias says, is to try to level the playing field for merchants in revitalized historic downtown areas. He says the area to be covered by the ordinance in Ft. Pierce is a four-block area on the waterfront that was built in the 1920s and consists primarily of two-story buildings. The area was mostly vacant until a couple of years ago, when a revitalization project was begun. But the city has found that retailers who move into the area are at a disadvantage to those in shopping centers because first-floor offices break up retail space and make it less inviting to pedestrian shoppers, especially in the evenings and weekends.

"It is important that retail is around other retail," Trias says, especially in older areas like this with low buildings. He said newer downtown areas with taller buildings and higher density don't have the same problem.