{"id":26313,"date":"2025-10-30T08:59:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T08:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/26313\/"},"modified":"2025-10-30T08:59:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T08:59:08","slug":"st-lucie-gardens-faces-growing-pains-amid-countys-development-boom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/26313\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Lucie Gardens faces growing pains amid County\u2019s development boom"},"content":{"rendered":"

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla (CBS12) \u2014 For the past two years<\/a>, the CBS12 News I-Team has been tracking the rapid development boom reshaping St. Lucie County. <\/p>\n

Now, residents in a quiet pocket of Port St. Lucie say the construction is threatening their way of life. The area in question is St. Lucie Gardens, located east of I-95 with quick access to U.S. 1 and just minutes from the beach. <\/p>\n

Despite its rural charm, the neighborhood is now surrounded by heavy machinery and construction sites.<\/p>\n

Longtime Residents Speak Out<\/p>\n

Susan Kane, who has lived in St. Lucie Gardens for decades, says the transformation is heartbreaking.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up here riding horses all through the woods I never thought in a million years this would happen to us,\u201d Kane told CBS12 News.<\/p>\n

She says the Silver Oaks development, a 150-acre project across the street, has caused flooding and made nearby roads nearly impassable.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe elevation of the property is flooding us, the noise, the disrespect we’ve gotten from them,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\"Susan<\/p>\n

Susan Kane stands beside her horses on her property along Silver Oak Drive in the St. Lucie Gardens neighborhood of Port St. Lucie. She says the nearby 150-acre Silver Oaks development\u2014approved and now under construction\u2014has flooded her land and made surrounding roads nearly impassable. (WPEC)<\/p>\n

Neighbor Carmen Cappezzo raised concerns about emergency access, saying ambulances may struggle to reach homes in time.<\/p>\n

Resident Linda Dawson believes county leaders are aware of the damage but haven\u2019t done enough to prevent it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is proving that it can’t be done without better engineering designs, drainage, and traffic planning,\u201d Dawson said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A sign outside a St. Lucie Gardens home reads \u201cNo more development! Ruin your own neighborhood,\u201d reflecting growing frustration among longtime residents. As construction ramps up across St. Lucie County, neighbors are urging commissioners to slow down approvals and protect their way of life. (WPEC){p}{\/p}<\/p>\n

County Response and New Projects<\/p>\n

St. Lucie County Commissioner Jamie Lee Fowler says many of the developments were approved years ago and are protected under state law.<\/p>\n

\u201cDevelopment can stay alive for about 20 years with proper extensions,\u201d Fowler explained.<\/p>\n

One new project, formerly known as Walton Ranch, plans to build larger-lot single-family homes more in line with the area\u2019s rural character.<\/p>\n

\"{p}"Currently,<\/p>\n

{p}”Currently, I can think of at least four developments just now going vertical, approved before our \u201808 recession. Development can stay alive for about 20 years with proper extensions,” said St. Lucie County Commissioner Jamie Lee Fowler (WPEC){\/p}<\/p>\n

Another, Grand Oaks South, will bring 90 single-story cottage-style triplexes to an 18-acre site at Tilton Road and Silver Oak Drive. Because it\u2019s a by-right project, it doesn\u2019t require county commission approval.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe back half is zoned AR-1, one home per acre. The front half is RM-5, which allows up to five units per acre,\u201d Fowler said.<\/p>\n

RELATED ARTICLE: Building Boom in St. Lucie meets resistance<\/a><\/p>\n

\"{p}Another<\/p>\n

{p}Another potential project, Grand Oaks South, will bring 90 single-story cottage-style triplexes to an 18-acre site at Tilton Road and Silver Oak Drive. Because it\u2019s a by-right project, it doesn\u2019t require county commission approval, according to St. Lucie County Commissioner Jamie Fowler. (WPEC){\/p}{p}{\/p}<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Next<\/p>\n

Residents say the plans on paper don\u2019t reflect what they\u2019re losing\u2014the trails, the open fields, and the quiet.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy horses can\u2019t go out in the field now. It\u2019s still mucky and wet,\u201d Kane said. \u201cMy drainage ditch is full.\u201d<\/p>\n

Commissioner Fowler says she plans to require infrastructure and drainage improvements before any new model homes go up\u2014a change she hopes will prevent the flooding and frustration residents have already endured.<\/p>\n

\"St.<\/p>\n

St. Lucie Gardens residents say the Silver Oaks development, a 150-acre project across the street, has caused flooding and made nearby roads nearly impassable. (WPEC){p}{\/p}<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla (CBS12) \u2014 For the past two years, the CBS12 News I-Team has been tracking…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26314,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[171,173,172],"class_list":{"0":"post-26313","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-port-st-lucie","8":"tag-port-st-lucie","9":"tag-port-st-lucie-headlines","10":"tag-port-st-lucie-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26313","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=26313"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26313\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}