The New Treasure Off Out Shores

There was a time when the St. Lucie County Civic Center was bustling with activity, from hosting thousands of high-school graduations to housing concerts by legendary artists such as Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash. Nowadays, the Civic Center walls no longer ring with the sounds of Pomp and Circumstance, Blowin’ in the Wind or Ring of Fire. Yet, they are still teeming with life and activity – 55 feet below sea level.

Thanks to the active 2004 hurricane season, the Civic Center was demolished in 2005 with large pieces of the walls being used in the county’s artificial reef program. Totaling more than 100 tons, these chunks of concrete, along with hundreds of concrete culverts, have been deployed about six miles offshore on three different reef sites. Less than three months after being dropped into the ocean, the sites have attracted thousands of fish, including grouper, snapper, sea bass, sheepshead and snook.

 All three of the coastal counties that make up the Treasure Coast have active artificial reef programs. These reefs are comprised of concrete railroad ties, culverts, sunken ships, steel beams and other heavy-grade materials that otherwise would take up space in the landfills. Statewide, 34 of Florida’s 35 coastal counties have programs to create artificial reefs, with the earliest efforts dating back to 1920. Since that time, more than 2,400 documented reefs have been placed in state and federal waters off the 8,426 miles of shoreline that surround the peninsula. Local coastal governments hold all but one of the more than 300 active artificial reef permits off both of Florida’s coasts. 

Read the entire article in the Summer 2008 issue