ST. LUCIE COUNTY — Maverick Boat Group and Pursuit Boats, boat-building companies owned by Malibu Boats, comprise the two largest sources of toxic industrial air pollution, by quantity, on the Treasure Coast.

The two are among a handful of facilities that release toxic air pollution on the Treasure Coast.

Maverick, Pursuit Boats emit plastics precursor

Both companies were cumulatively responsible for nearly 3 million pounds of styrene, a plastics precursor, released into the air from 2015-2024, according to EPA air pollutant reports.

Styrene is considered a carcinogen by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“Our operations comply with all applicable federal, state and local environmental regulations, including permitting, monitoring and reporting requirements,” Malibu Boats spokesperson Megan Schwichtenberg said in a statement.

Maverick Boat Group and Pursuit Boats, both classified by the state Department of Environmental Protection as “major sources” of air pollution, are responsible for 12.6% of all styrene released in the air in Florida, according to an analysis of EPA data.

Sources of toxic industrial air pollution on the Treasure Coast

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Turbocombustor Technology, at 3651 S.E. Commerce Avenue, is a subsidiary of Pursuit Aerospace that manufactures aircraft engine and engine parts. Since 2021, it has self-reported thousands of pounds of metallic emissions into the air. Jan. 9, 2026.

There are 20,000-25,000 Treasure Coast residents living within 3 miles of the facilities, according to U.S. Census data.

This includes Fort Pierce North, a census-designated place comprising a predominantly Black, low-income population.

Workers are likely to have the highest exposure to styrene, according to a toxicological profile, and lower levels of exposure can occur to people near industrial facilities emitting styrene to outdoor air.

Public dollars helped build facilities

Maverick Boat Group and Pursuit Boats have benefited from nearly $1.1 million in property-tax abatements from economic-development tax exemptions across its facilities that release toxic air emissions, according to the St. Lucie County Tax Collector’s Office.

Without subsidies, significant sources of industrial air pollution wouldn’t have been built. This is because, in order to receive tax incentives, a company must assert it would not otherwise come here, as part of the conditional agreement between a city or county and the company.

Maverick Boat Group, for example, asserted its expansion to a new facility at 4551 St. Lucie Blvd. “would not occur” without the tax exemption, according to the company’s application.

Malibu Boats, subsequently, is one of the largest private employers in St. Lucie County. Nearly 900 workers are employed across its facilities, according to job reports the companies submitted to the county. Workers are paid a wage higher than the median, as a condition of the incentives.

Jack Randall is TCPalm’s economy and real estate reporter. You can reach him at jack.randall@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida facilities emit tons of toxic plastic pollution in air