The Fort Pierce City Commission on Oct. 20 approved a six-month blanket purchase order not to exceed $115,000 to continue leasing audio and lighting equipment for the Sunrise Theater while staff completes negotiations to bring on a new operator and resolve longer-term equipment needs.

Interim Sunrise Theater Executive Director Marissa Quijano said the theater lost usable installed equipment during a staff transition and that the venue has rented equipment since January 2025 to fulfill contractual event obligations. “Sometime during the transition ... the former contractor arrived at the Sunrise and retrieved a majority of his equipment ... we were still left with inoperable equipment,” Quijano said, adding staff pursued emergency rentals so scheduled shows would go on. Quijano named Complete Resources as the current month-to-month vendor and said the theater is seeking quotes for lease-to-own but is still negotiating with a prospective operator for a longer-term solution.

City Manager Richard Chess and other staff told commissioners the $230,000 figure on the agenda represented a 12-month projection at roughly $17,000–$19,000 per month and that staff did not expect to spend the full amount if a new management contract and vendor arrangements come into place. Chess said the current rental arrangement is intended to be temporary and that, if a new operator is contracted, the rental contract can be terminated with roughly 30 days' notice.

Commissioners pressed staff on procurement and budget transparency and asked for a monthly accounting of show revenue and production costs. Commissioner Gaines moved approval of a six-month PO for $115,000 with staff to return with an update in three months; the motion passed unanimously (Commissioners Broderick, Gaines, Johnson and Mayor Linda Hudson voting yes). The motion also included direction that staff continue negotiations with the vendor selected through the theater procurement process and that the commission be updated on progress toward onboarding an operator by Jan. 1, 2026, if possible.

Quijano said theater staff and the city are still negotiating with prospective vendors and plan to examine lease-to-own options for equipment already in the building; Chess said staff favors contracting with a vendor that can provide equipment and swap or upgrade capital equipment as technology changes, rather than purchasing equipment the city might need to replace quickly.

The commission approved the six-month contingency to avoid breaching event contracts and to keep booked performances on the calendar while staff finalizes negotiations.

The action also included an explicit request from commissioners for a day-meeting session to review per-show revenues, concessions and expense breakdowns so the council and public can track whether productions cover operating costs going forward.