DEP issues final order to punish Port St. Lucie resort for destroying mangrove forest

Katie Delk, Treasure Coast Newspapers

PORT ST. LUCIE — Sandpiper Bay Resort has five months to restore a mangrove forest it destroyed to create a beach and unobstructed view of the St. Lucie River, according to a state order effective Jan. 8.

The Department of Environmental Protection has ordered the resort to:

  • Pay to plant 2,780 red, black and white mangrove seedlings and trees in between what's left of the estimated 944 trees it cut to nubs by June 24. The restoration project cost is undetermined, but "it's not gonna be a cheap price," said Keith Rossin, co-founder of MANG nursery in West Palm Beach, which is supplying the trees that must range between 2-7 feet tall.

  • Pay a $110,395 fine to DEP by Feb. 19.

  • Pay $72,000 to St. Lucie County, which will spend it on mangrove restoration at Bear Point Sanctuary, county spokesperson Erick Gill said. The resort must pay 60 days after the County Commission approves the mitigation plan, which is due by April 1.

  • Have the restoration work be monitored by DEP for five years.

This is one of the steepest mangrove-cutting penalties in state history, DEP told TCPalm.

In May, the resort cleared nearly a half-acre of shoreline — a swath equal to the 951-foot-long Caribbean Princess cruise ship — and covered the nubs with sand, which washed into the North Fork of the St. Lucie River.

Sandpiper Bay Resort mangrove restoration plan

The mangrove forest could take at least 25 years to return to its former glory, Rossin said.

"There were some big mangroves along that shoreline that were taken out, and those ones are definitely 25 plus years old, if not 50 years old," he said. "Full maturity is 25 years."

But it's unlikely the nubs will survive, said David Cox, owner of Cox Pinson Environmental Solutions, a DEP-approved professional mangrove trimmer that developed the restoration plan and will assist MANG with planting and monitoring.

"We might get regeneration from the roots, and we definitely will get shoreline stabilization," Cox said. "If we tried to dig them all up, we would cause quite a bit of erosion there."

DEP mangrove restoration requirements

The remnants of mangrove tree roots are seen along the shoreline of the St. Lucie River at the Sandpiper Bay Resort as a construction crew works on a swimming pool, on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, in Port St. Lucie. The state-protected trees were hacked down, and now provide an open view of the river from the resort.
The remnants of mangrove tree roots are seen along the shoreline of the St. Lucie River at the Sandpiper Bay Resort as a construction crew works on a swimming pool, on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, in Port St. Lucie. The state-protected trees were hacked down, and now provide an open view of the river from the resort.

The property owner and the resort owner that leases the property initially had until May 15 to complete the restoration plan, but DEP granted their requested extension.

The plan requires:

  • Installing barriers to prevent sand from washing into the river.

  • Stabilizing side slopes on the shoreline.

  • Removing all exotic plants.

DEP said trees along the shoreline must grow to at least 10 feet tall, and trees in the southeast corner of the property must grow to at least 25 feet tall. DEP denied the resort's request to lower the required shoreline height to 6 feet.

DEP aims for at least 80% of the trees to survive. That means the resort must replace trees that die to ensure there are at least 2,224 living trees, Cox said. If the trees don't grow after two years of monitoring, the resort must prepare an alternative plan.

Illegal mangrove cutting

Port St. Lucie angler Jim Dirks takes his boat out on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, in Port St. Lucie to view the St. Lucie River shoreline around Sandpiper Bay Resort where hundreds of mangrove trees were recently cut down. "It bothered me beyond compare, it angered me and I was disgusted and I'm hoping that they pay dearly for it," Dirks said. "I reported it the next day to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and I guess the FDEP picked it up from there."

DEP's investigation began with a May 8 complaint from angler Jim Dirks of Port St. Lucie, who told TCPalm he has fished in that area every week for 44 years.

On May 10, DEP investigators found healthy red and black mangroves measuring 15-26 feet long in resort dumpsters, and sand unloaded over the roots with no barrier to keep the fill from washing into the river.

Store Capital Acquisitions LLC owns the property and leases it to Altitude Hospitality LLC, which bought the former Club Med in 2022, according to DEP and county records. Neither owner has responded to TCPalm’s multiple calls and emails seeking comment since May.

The resort blamed a tornado for yanking out the trees, DEP reports say; however, the National Weather Service told TCPalm there was no twister. At worst, a tornado more likely would have removed the trees’ leaves, not entirely knocked down nearly 1,000 trees, said Stuart-based Florida Oceanographic Society scientist Lorae Simpson.

The owners also said they didn’t know Florida law protects mangroves or that they needed a permit or a professional trimmer to cut them, DEP reports say.

Sandpiper Bay Resort: DEP investigates hacked mangroves at Sandpiper Bay Resort in Port St. Lucie

Wakeup call: Hacked mangroves shows need for greater environmental responsibility

Why are Florida mangroves protected?

DEP regulates mangrove trimming because the deep-rooted trees are essential to a healthy environment. They filter water pollutants, provide wildlife habitat and stabilize shorelines to protect homes, businesses and other structures from storms.

People may trim mangroves that are 10 feet or shorter without a permit. Only DEP-approved professionals may trim mangroves that are 16 feet or taller. Only professionals with a permit may trim mangroves that are 24 feet or taller.

No one can cut mangroves to be shorter than 6 feet tall.

Katie Delk is an environmental reporter for TCPalm. Contact her at katie.delk@tcpalm.com or 772-408-5301. Check for updates at @katie_delk.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: DEP punishes Port St. Lucie Sandpiper Bay Resort for cutting mangroves

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