ST. LUCIE COUNTY — Area residents have a new visually appealing place to take their dogs after county commissioners on Tuesday approved a measure to allow dogs to be walked at Wildcat Cove.

The county has been searching for a waterside location where dog owners could take their pets, though commissioners ran into several problems during their search, including beachfront property owners concerned about unleashed dogs on private property and a denial from the state after a request to use Avalon beachside park on North State Road A1A.

Instead, the county settled on Wildcat Cove at 3399 N. S.R. A1A, a cove along Indian River Lagoon, as a place on North Hutchinson Island where dogs can walk without leashes. The property contains walking trails and connects to the north side of Pepper Park where there is paved parking and other amenities as well as a separate parking space by Wildcat Cove.
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PORT ST. LUCIE — The City Council voted 4-1 at its Monday night meeting to move forward with making Midway Road the dividing line between the city and Fort Pierce.

But officials have just begun ironing out the details regarding utilities and annexations in the joint planning agreement.

The council agreed to assign Midway Road from the Indian River Lagoon to the St. Lucie County Fairgrounds as the boundary. Councilwoman Michelle Berger had requested at the council’s Oct. 19 meeting a follow-up discussion about the joint planning agreement for services north of Midway Road.

“I’m quite comfortable putting a line at Midway Road,” Berger said.
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The $10 billion spending bill signed Wednesday by President Obama provides $183 million for Everglades restoration projects, including $4.5 million earmarked for the Indian River Lagoon.

The legislation was approved Tuesday night by the U.S. Senate; the House of Representatives approved the bill in late February.

Nanciann Regalado, spokeswoman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office in Jacksonville, which is overseeing the Indian River Lagoon project, said it wasn’t clear Wednesday evening where the money would go. She said the Corps has asked Congress for $4.5 million to design a reservoir and stormwater treatment area for the C-23 and C-24 canals, which drain much of St. Lucie and northern Martin counties.

“We’re still determining exactly how the money will be used,” Regalado said, “but it definitely will go toward the Indian River Lagoon Plan.”
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FORT PIERCE — The St. Lucie County Marine Center has started offering educational boat tours of the Indian River Lagoon on the first and third Saturday of each month. (more…)