Homeland Security: Officials encountered 28 people in U.S. illegally when searching TentLogix in St. Lucie County

ST. LUCIE COUNTY — Federal officials Wednesday conducted a criminal search warrant at TentLogix, a tent rental business west of U.S. 1 in Fort Pierce, and were questioning 28 people who work there about their immigration status, a Homeland Security Investigations official said.

A large contingent of law enforcement officials in black swarmed the facility in the 1100 block of DiGiorgio Road on Wednesday morning. At least two large buses, one a mobile law enforcement command post, were seen driving in to the facility.

TentLogix is just west of a vacant parcel where a military Humvee-type vehicle was spotted and officials in black walked. They appeared to be searching for something.

Nestor Yglesias, spokesman for Homeland Security Investigations, said a criminal search was being conducted at the business.

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“At this point, I can’t speak to it because it is an ongoing criminal investigation,” Yglesias said.

He said 28 people determined to be in the United States illegally were taken in to custody in the afternoon. He said the people were taken off the property and were being detained and interviewed by federal officials, but would not necessarily be deported. He did not say where they were taken.

Yglesias explained this action was a criminal search warrant at TentLogix, not an immigration enforcement action. He said during the course of executing the search warrant, federal officials encountered 28 people who they determined were in the country illegally.

Each person's immigration status is being reviewed, he said.

He referred further questions to the U.S. Attorney's office.

Sarah Schall, public information officer for the federal office's Southern District of Florida in Miami, said in an email that the U.S. Attorney’s office "could not confirm or deny the existence of an investigation."

A phone message left Wednesday with TentLogix was not returned, nor was an email. No one responded at the gate to the business.

The TentLogix website states the business has “been providing superior tent rentals to a wide array of clients in Stuart, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, West Palm Beach, Treasure Coast and Orlando since 1996.” At one point it was named Premier Party Rentals.

The large warehouse facility is in a largely industrial area south of Edwards Road, between Sunrise Boulevard and Oleander Avenue. It is at the end of the street, and the entrance has a chain link fence across it.

A helicopter hovered overhead at one point during the day, and a St. Lucie County Fire District vehicle was on the property.

Willie Bradley was driving a forklift at a yard east of TentLogix on Wednesday morning.

“I just saw a lot of cars going in,” he said. “Officers, unmarked cars, and I saw a big bus going in, white bus, that was it.”

Bradley said it’s not something normal for the area.

Bradley said he was a bit concerned, saying his job is “like a home away from home.”

“I work out here every day,” Bradley said.

Colleen Fallon, who works at a nearby marine services business, showed photos on her phone of the activity.

She said she saw helicopters and investigators in the bushes.

“We didn’t go and bug them or ask them anything,” Fallon said.

About TentLogix

According to state records, Gary Hendry, of Stuart, is the CEO of TentLogix Inc. and Dennis Birdsall, also of Stuart, is the president. They could not be reached Wednesday.

The company is based at 1121 DiGiorgio Road, Fort Pierce, on a 14-acre property owned by Stuart-based NAG Properties, according to St. Lucie County property appraiser records.

NAG Properties, of which Hendry is the manager and registered agent, was registered as a limited liability company in Florida in 2014.

TentLogix was registered in 1996 under the name Premier Party Rentals. The company changed its name to TentLogix in July 2010, according to state records.

NAG’s Fort Pierce property has an assessed market value of $2.1 million and includes over 75,000 square feet of warehouse space, according to property appraiser records.

NAG properties also owns 82.8 acres near 19100 S.W. Warfield Boulevard in Indiantown, according to the Martin County Property Appraiser.

Development on the $8.2-million industrial property includes railroad siding, cold storage, warehouse storage, loading docks and truck wells, records show.

NAG bought the property Dec. 29 from Louis Dreyfus Citrus for $4.9 million.

State business documents show Hendry owns or runs a number of businesses in Florida, many real estate-related, including several involved in development in Ocean Breeze Park and Rio, both in Martin County.

TentLogix in August 2016 announced it would hire for 150 open positions in Stuart and Fort Pierce locations, including delivery drivers, warehouse workers and field laborers.