Lake bank erosion
in Port St. Lucie.

The essentials before you start

• Find who maintains the lake bank ↗

  Check the plat and association or district records before paying for work.

• Document what is changing ↗

  Keep dated observations of erosion, settlement and drainage.

• Prepare a decision package ↗

  Give the board the ownership evidence, findings, options and scope to review.

Who maintains the lake?

Port St. Lucie’s stormwater system includes about 200 miles of canals, 1,200 miles of swales and more than 180 control structures. In master-planned communities, the association has often assumed financial and physical responsibility for the community stormwater system under SFWMD permits, and the city rebates part of the stormwater fee. The documented examples are Riverland (Resolution 20-R54) and the Sundance and Wylder agreements in 2025.

Check your community’s plat, declaration and SFWMD permit. The lake tract and its bank are often owned by an association or community development district, not by the homeowner whose yard slopes down to it.

Stormwater – Public Works · Agreement to Rebate Stormwater Assessments and Provide for Maintenance of Stormwater Management System for Riverland Communities

Your stormwater fee and what it pays for

The city’s stormwater fee for a single-family home is $195 per year for FY 2026/27, up from $189, with $6 annual increases projected to $219 by FY 2030/31. The city’s own maintenance covers city canals, swales and structures; association lakes follow the association’s permit and budget.

Stormwater 2026 Tax Roll presentation (attachment to Resolution 26-R60/26-R66)

Warning signs on a lake bank

• A steep or undercut edge, exposed irrigation pipe or roots, or sod slumping into the water.
• Gullies where a downspout, swale or pipe discharges to the lake.
• A littoral shelf that has disappeared or been mowed out.
• Fences, pool decks or patios cracking near the top of bank.

Repair options

Options range from regrading and replanting, geotextile or rock toe protection and erosion-control mats to vertical retaining walls. The right one depends on the permitted lake design (slopes and littoral zones are often permit conditions), water-level control and who will maintain the result.

Stormwater – Public Works

A decision package for the board

• A map of affected banks with ownership (lot, tract, district) for each segment.
• The engineer’s assessment of the cause: outfall scour, wave action, slope design or irrigation.
• Options with cost, permit route (SFWMD permit modification, city permit) and long-term maintenance.
• A funding plan that matches the governing documents.

The HOA guide covers shared-wall decisions, and the cost guide helps compare written bids.

Agreement to Rebate Stormwater Assessments and Provide for Maintenance of Stormwater Management System for Riverland Communities

Reporting city drainage problems

If erosion starts at a city swale, culvert or canal rather than an association lake, report it to Port St. Lucie Public Works at 772-871-5100 or through the 1PSL app. Owners must keep the right-of-way from the edge of pavement to the property line maintained, including driveway culverts.

Public Works · Stormwater – Public Works