May 2025
FACT SHEET
Fort Pierce St. Lucie County, FL
Investigations (I)
Congressional District: 21
1. DESCRIPTION
In accordance with Section 203 of Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1986, St. Lucie County prepared a Section 203 integrated feasibility report and environmental assessment to evaluate alternatives to improve the Fort Pierce Shore Protection Project (SPP) from a on a 2-year renourishment cycle to a 4‑year nourishment cycle by the introductions of shore protection features along the 2.4-mile portion of the Ft Pierce SPP. The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works (OASACW) conducted two Washington-level review cycles for the study. The first review was conducted on March 2017 where the revised Section 203 Report provided OASACW on June 2018. Section 403 of WRDA 2020 (P.L. 116-260) conditionally authorized the Section 203 study, on the condition that unresolved comments by the OASACW to be addressed in the form of a Letter Report prepared by the Jacksonville District (SAJ). The study recommended a beach nourishment with a vegetated dune feature from Fort Pierce Inlet 1.3 miles southward to Surfside Park but also includes the construction of shoreline stabilization structures (six T-groins and a detached breakwater).
2. FUNDING
| Estimated Total Cost |
$900,000 |
| Estimated Federal Cost |
$450,000 |
| Allocation thru FY24 |
$450,000 |
| Allocation for FY25 |
$0 |
| President’s Budget FY26 |
TBD |
3. SPONSOR
St. Lucie County Erosion District
2300 Virginia Avenue
Ft. Pierce, Florida 34982-5652
4. STATUS
A 50/50 cost share agreement was finalized on May 18, 2023, so the Jacksonville District (SAJ) can assist St. Lucie County on resolving outstanding Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works (ASA) questions on Section 203 study submitted by the County in March 2017. Ultimately, work involves two actions: Letter Report (LR) and Environmental Assessment (EA). LR will address all outstanding ASA submitted questions as well as verification of the non-federal Sponsor’s conclusions where relevant. EA was requested by ASA to evaluate the final alternatives considered in the revised June 2018 Feasibility Report.
Initial expectation was for the LA, EA and Findings of No Significant Impact (FONSI) to be provided to ASA by November 2024. However, two issues were raised during the scoping phase of the EA: Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (CZMA), and Formal Consult. CZMA was resolved on 19 Feb 25 where the state initially expressed concerns on the proposed groin field design relative to sea turtles, downdrift sediment effects and the lack of sediment bypassing as part of the recommended plan. Federal Agencies also expressed a need for a formal consult associated with the proposed groin field. that was ultimately resolved by receiving the two biological opinions respectively on March 12, 2025, and April 10, 2025. Therefore, it is expected that the ASA should receive the LA, EA, and Signed FONSI by July 2025.
