The Fort Pierce wave pool project inched closer to breaking ground as the City Commission unanimously approved the first phase, the wave pool.

Willow Lakes Resort Village and Community development will build a Wavegarden Cove as its central hub. On the periphery will be a hotel, retail space, office space and 800 residential homes. Cost for the project is estimated to be just shy of the $600 million mark.

“This is just a pivotal project in the city of Fort Pierce,” Commissioner Jeremiah Johnson told TCPalm. “… There’s going to be a tourism component that’s going to be an immediate, positive impact within the entire Treasure Coast.” 

The first phase of the 200-acre development surrounding the wave pool will include 28 vacation rentals and a 50,000+ square foot building to house shops, food & beverage and more.

Groundbreaking could begin as early as the end of this year with construction taking roughly 18 months. The wave pool component and amenities are projected to cost $60 million.

Florida is in a wave pool race with Tampa announcing plans for a Surf Lakes while other designs pop up across the Sunshine State. Fort Pierce’s massive 56-module Wavegarden Cove facility will be as large as the one in South Korea.

If all goes according to plan, the development will be the first next-generation wave pool to open in the stoked-but-often-surf-starved state. Several projects have tried to get a footing in Florida and failed including the Sky Surfpark in Orlando, a Ron Jons in 2008 and Disneyland’s paddle-powered pool in 1972. Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon, with limited surfing hours, is currently the only surf-able wave pool in Florida.