toxic venom that can be fatal to dogs<\/a> within minutes if ingested.<\/p>\n\u201cWe\u2019re worried about letting our dogs out in the backyard with those cane toads,\u201d said homeowner Rhoda Shulman. \u201cThat\u2019s why we wanted to try and prevent that from happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
After repeatedly spotting cane toads in their backyard, the family researched possible solutions and decided to request permission to add mesh to the bottom of their fence \u2014 a modification they say would help keep the toads out without changing the overall appearance of the fence.<\/p>\n
But the Shulmans say their request was denied by the HOA. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey turned us down. We couldn\u2019t believe it,\u201d Rhoda Shulman said. We were just totally shocked.\u201d<\/p>\n
Feeling unheard, the family took their concerns to neighbors and started a petition. They say nearly 100 residents signed in less than a week, showing what they describe as growing concern throughout the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re sitting here waiting and worrying every night. This is a major safety issue, it makes me very anxious,\u201d Rhoda said.<\/p>\n
The family says the issue goes beyond just their household. They believe it highlights a larger concern about balancing HOA rules with safety, especially in lakefront communities where wildlife is common.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur dogs are our family,\u201d Fred Shulman said. \u201cIf we had children here, we would also do everything we can to prevent injury or harm.\u201d<\/p>\n
WFLX reporter Brooke Chau reached out to the Valencia Walk HOA President, who said in a brief statement that the board recently transitioned from the developer three months ago and is now reviewing the issue with the association\u2019s attorney.<\/p>\n
The homeowners say they will continue pushing for answers and hope their efforts lead to changes that protect pets living in Riverland. <\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Port St. Lucie family is pushing for change after their homeowners association denied a request they believe…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":132039,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[171,173,172],"class_list":["post-138878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie-headlines","tag-port-st-lucie-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138878"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138878\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}