FORT PIERCE, Fla. — It won't be long before the surf is up, miles from the ocean.
On a blustery Tuesday, even the birds want little to do with the rough surf at the Fort Pierce Inlet.
"If they haven’t surfed much at all, I’ll steer them toward a fun shape, a 7 or 8-foot board," said Jeff Hawkins, who runs Fort Pierce Surf and Skate.
As someone who’s been surfing and making surfboards for decades, Hawkins knows Fort Pierce has some of the best surf on the entire east coast.
"We have the most consistent conditions for rideable surf," Hawkins said.
But soon, if it isn’t a day to catch a wave here you could catch one miles from the ocean.
As part of the first phase of the Willow Lakes development, the Fort Pierce Commission just approved the construction of the Wavegarden Surf Park.
It will be based off Midway Road just west of Interstate 95.
"It’s amazing, we can surf all year round now," Hawkins said.
The $60 million first phase includes the surf park plus more than two dozen vacation rentals. Eventually the $595 million project will have 600 hotel rooms, townhomes, single and multi-family homes, and commercial space.
Hawkins hopes it will bring traveling pros into his shop.
"Say he breaks a fin at the park. He can come here, buy some fins or purchase a board or get a custom board made," Hawkins said.
