ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — Residents and farmers in western St. Lucie County are seeking answers and long-term drainage solutions after historic flooding left homes, farms and roads underwater last week.
The North St. Lucie River Water Control District held an emergency meeting Monday to hear concerns from people in the area, including farmers, residents and representatives from Save the Chimps. District members said the drainage system can handle only so much water during an extreme rainfall event and discussed engineering as part of a possible long-term plan.
Some of the hardest-hit areas are now seeing significant improvement, including Save the Chimps in western St. Lucie County. But residents and farmers say they want to know what can be done to reduce the risk of similar flooding during the next extreme rainfall event.
For one resident, the flooding has already changed how they view their future in the area.
“I will be selling my house cause I am not going to risk my investment,” the resident said during Monday’s meeting.
Water control district hears concerns from western St. Lucie County
The North St. Lucie River Water Control District held an emergency meeting Monday to hear from people affected by the flooding.
Farmers, residents and representatives of Save the Chimps attended as district members discussed the drainage system and the scale of last week’s flooding.
President Steve Cassens said there are limits to what the existing system can handle when extraordinary amounts of rain fall in a short period.
“If we have a rainfall event like that, my personal feeling is you can have gates open, shut, it doesn’t matter,” said Cassens. “We can manage water maybe 3, 4, 5, 6 inches. We can’t manage water in the quantities that we got.”
District officials also discussed maintenance of waterways and ditches, including concerns surrounding a creek in Western Fort Pierce that serves as a primary drainage route. The district said it systematically cleans ditches within its boundaries.
The district said engineering could be examined as part of developing a long-range plan.
Conditions improve at Save the Chimps
Save the Chimps, a sanctuary in western St. Lucie County, was among the places hit hard by the flooding.
WPTV previously reported that staff members had to use drones to deliver food to chimpanzees because several roads through the sanctuary were underwater.
When WPTV reporter Zitlali Solache returned days later, staff said conditions had significantly improved.
“A short 40 hours after that, we’re almost completely dry on our roads,” said Mark Yohannan.
The improvement came after days of challenges caused by standing water at the sanctuary.
West Fort Pierce farmer raises concerns
The concerns extended beyond residential neighborhoods.
Justin Akerley, who helps operate Saint Lucie Farm Preserve in west Fort Pierce, spoke later Monday at a Port St. Lucie City Council meeting after attending the water control district meeting.
Akerley told council members he believes continued development is adding pressure to the area's drainage infrastructure.
“I just spent my morning in a meeting with the North St. Lucie River Water Control District trying to figure out what we can do to alleviate the water issues, and there’s really no right answer except for stop building,” Akerley said.
Akerley shared a video with WPTV showing flooding at Saint Lucie Farm Preserve, a working agritourism farm operated by Akerley and Michael Hale. The farm produces hay, cut flowers, beef and assorted vegetables and hosts community agricultural events.
Akerley told council members the consequences extend to other farms and families.
“I’ve got friends that have calves dying that are flooded, they can’t get out,” he said. “It’s a terrible, terrible situation for everybody. There’s people that have lost their homes.”
He urged city leaders to reconsider the effect future development could have on flooding and drainage.
“Just please reconsider because it’s not a good situation for everybody, and it’s only gonna get worse,” Akerley said.
Officials consider what comes next
During Monday’s Port St. Lucie City Council meeting, Councilman David Pickett also called for greater scrutiny of flooding and the city’s stormwater infrastructure.
Pickett said he sent two memos to the city manager earlier in the week addressing floodwaters and wants the city to expedite a planned stormwater study rather than wait until 2029.
He also raised concerns about flooding in Tradition and called for the city to examine stormwater systems before distributing certain stormwater fees to community development districts.
Meanwhile, the North St. Lucie River Water Control District has said engineering options can be assessed as officials consider a long-term plan.
For residents and farmers still recovering from last week’s flooding, those discussions are now turning toward a larger question: what can be done before the next extreme rainfall event?
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