When Anthony F. Sansone Sr. first saw the Port St. Lucie property that would become Legacy Park at Tradition, he knew it was something special, so exceptional that the last conversation he had with two of his sons was about the land.
“We decided to have this entire project named after him,” said youngest son Nicholas C. Sansone, Esq., a principal of the Sansone Group, at the unveiling and ribbon cutting of Legacy Park’s commemorative sculpture on May 8. Brothers Jim and Doug Sansone are also at the helm.
Fittingly named the Tree of American Dreams, the sculpture is located at SW Hegener Drive near the intersection of SW Village Parkway and tells the story of the Sansone family and the legacy began by Sansone Sr. many years ago.
The sculpture created by local artist Geoffrey Smith features eight branches representing Sansone’s eight children, while the trunk suggests the strength of Sansone’s wife Mary Anne Michaels Sansone, the “heart of the family.”
The four roots represent what was most important to Sansone – faith, family, community and country. The sculpture is topped with a bald eagle, which embodies the American Dream and Sansone’s immigrant journey from the Italian island of Sicily.
Nicholas Sansone recalled the day he went to Smith’s studio and was overwhelmed by his work. “I realized this was not just a community artist. This is an international stud when it comes to the art this guy has done,” he said, noting that he has created artwork for presidents and many other well-known people.
“My gosh, did you capture it and beyond,” Nicholas Sansone told Smith who was at the ceremony.
Legacy Park at Tradition, the last development of his impressive nationwide career, meant so much to Sansone Sr. that in April 2020, on a Friday three days before his passing, he had a friend drive him to the property and take a photo of him there. “He never did that before. He kept talking about the site,” said Nicholas Sansone, who received a call from his dad that day. “You have to go drive it, feel it and touch it,” his father told him. “He was fired up.”
Three days later, Sansone Sr. talked to another son, Jim, and asked if the property was “leased up yet.”
Hours later, Anthony F. Sansone Sr. passed away. “Three days before his passing, he’s going to look at real estate. He is the true story of the American dream.”
“We remember the life he led and the lasting impact that he made,” said Port St. Lucie Mayor Shannon Martin at the ceremony. “His presence is still very much felt in what we’re seeing here today.
“Legacy Park is providing jobs for our residents and strengthening our local economy,” said Martin. “Thank you for your continued investment in Port St. Lucie.”
“We really appreciate our partnership and involvement with the Sansones. It’s just marvelous to drive around here and see the quality development. It’s truly amazing. I hadn’t been here in a week and I got lost,” said Pete Tesch, St Lucie County Economic Development Council senior advisor for strategic initiatives, who emceed the ceremony.
The Sansone family considers the City of Port St. Lucie to be a special place. “We worked with a lot of cities throughout the years but these guys. The way they rallied around our family and the way they rallied around having this in honor of our family, we’ve never had this,” Nicholas Sansone said. “It’s really cool to come back here and see all the users and what they’ve done.”
Today the property is home to an over 5 million-square-foot industrial development that includes Fed Ex, Cheney Brothers, Amazon, Ferguson HVAC Supply and Costco, and there’s more to come. “We’re not finished here,” Sansone said, explaining that they were relying on Tesch to do a major retail development.
Today, the property is a far cry from what it was when Sansone Sr. was looking at it. “It was just a large piece of pasture,” Nicholas Sansone said, noting that no one was building there at the time. “People were looking at us and thinking what the heck are you going to do in Port St. Lucie? For us it was a no brainer to make it happen.”
The Sansone Group, founded in 1957, is a family-owned and nationally recognized commercial real estate and development group based in St. Louis. The group specializes in industrial, retail and multi-family projects and has developed close to 60 million square feet across 32 states.