Overview

When Hurricane Milton struck Fort Pierce, Florida, on October 9, 2025, the destruction didn’t stop with the storm. A powerful tornado formed in its wake, tearing through rural Santa Rosa County and leaving widespread damage behind. One of the hardest-hit businesses was Southern Truss, a major supplier of prefabricated wood trusses for regional homebuilders.

Their 64,000-square-foot open-air steel facility, built in 2004, was completely destroyed, and only the concrete foundation remained.

The impact on operations was immediate and devastating. Southern Truss faced over $100,000 in lost revenue per day due to halted production and missed deliveries. Time was critical. That’s when Coastal Steel Structures stepped in to help rebuild—fast, efficiently, and with resilience in mind.

 

Building Purpose

The original structure served as the backbone of Southern Truss’s manufacturing and logistics operations. Its open-air layout and high-clearance bays were specifically designed for large-scale truss fabrication and efficient material handling.

Reconstruction wasn’t just about replacing the building—it was about restoring a mission-critical operation with the same precision, flow, and performance that kept Southern Truss running at full capacity.

 

Project Challenges

Total Structural Loss

The hurricane left nothing salvageable. The 2004 steel structure was completely leveled, requiring a complete rebuild from the ground up. With outdated documentation and incomplete records, Coastal’s team relied on archived schematics, site remnants, and employee input to accurately reconstruct the facility layout.

Severe Revenue Loss

Every day offline cost Southern Truss over $100,000 in lost income, putting extreme pressure on the schedule. Speed was not a preference—it was a necessity for survival.

Steel Supply Shortages

The rebuild coincided with a nationwide shortage of structural steel. Coastal had to secure the right materials quickly despite constrained supply chains and high market demand.

Permitting Delays and Updated Regulations

Post-disaster reconstruction brought bureaucratic hurdles. Local municipalities were flooded with permit requests, and updated codes since 2004 required new documentation and compliance measures. Coastal had to navigate these efficiently to prevent delays.

Exact Footprint Requirement

To restore full functionality, the new building had to match the original footprint exactly. Even minor deviations in column placement or bay width could disrupt workflow and machinery alignment.

Site Safety and Clutter

The property remained filled with damaged materials and heavy equipment after the storm. Coastal had to coordinate safe rebuild operations around existing salvage and cleanup efforts.

Competitive Bidding and Stakeholder Coordination

Coastal won the rebuild by demonstrating speed, experience, and reliability. Once awarded, the project required tight coordination among contractors, engineers, suppliers, and Southern Truss’s internal team, each with unique expectations and timelines.

Condensed Schedule

The original 12-week timeline was reduced to just 8 weeks. Coastal implemented parallel tasking—overlapping design, procurement, and site prep to maintain constant progress and meet the aggressive deadline.

 

Solutions Provided

Leveraging a National Manufacturing and Labor Network

Coastal tapped into its nationwide network of trusted steel manufacturers and certified erectors to secure materials quickly. These partnerships provided priority access to steel and fabrication slots, keeping the project on schedule despite market shortages.

Value Engineering and Precision Measurement

Using archived records, laser measurements, and client input, Coastal’s team re-engineered the structure for efficiency and code compliance. By optimizing the steel design and eliminating unnecessary overbuilding, the team delivered a stronger, smarter rebuild that met all operational needs.

Project Management-Led Permitting

To avoid bureaucratic slowdowns, Coastal’s project management team handled the entire permitting process. They worked directly with local officials to resolve code issues promptly and secured fast-track approvals, which kept construction moving smoothly.

Accurate Design and Footprint Replication

Advanced CAD modeling and laser mapping ensured that the new structure perfectly matched the original layout. This precision restored equipment paths, loading zones, and bay spacing exactly as before, minimizing downtime once operations resumed.

Transparent, Multi-Stakeholder Coordination

With multiple parties involved, Coastal maintained clear, structured communication, including daily updates, centralized progress tracking, and weekly check-ins. This consistent coordination eliminated confusion and kept every stakeholder aligned from start to finish.

Phased Construction Around Active Recovery Work

Coastal divided the rebuild into safe, coordinated phases to avoid interfering with ongoing recovery efforts. Daily on-site meetings helped teams adapt to changing conditions, ensuring steady progress while maintaining strict safety standards.

 

Final Results

In just eight weeks, Southern Truss went from total destruction to full operational recovery, a process that typically takes three months or more. The new facility not only matched the original footprint but also exceeded expectations in terms of strength, efficiency, and code compliance.

Through rapid execution, Coastal helped Southern Truss preserve millions in potential revenue losses, protect client relationships, and regain business continuity faster than expected.

 

This rebuild was more than restoration; it was a transformation into a stronger, disaster-ready operation. Coastal Steel Structures delivered not just a building, but confidence, partnership, and proof that speed and quality can go hand in hand.