Wild Boars! Are They Taking Over Port St. Lucie, Florida?

I saw a disturbing report on the local television news that wild boars are becoming a problem in Port St. Lucie, Florida. People in the Tradition neighborhood of that city are reporting wild boars weighing up to 200 pounds are hanging out in their backyards and acting in a menacing way when approached. Port St. Lucie is the 6th largest city in Florida, which is really an amazing thing. Port St Lucie has no downtown, and consists entirely of suburban style subdivisions, which stretch from the north fork of the St. Lucie River all the way into the desolate Central Florida wilderness. It is hard to believe, but West Palm Beach, with its downtown, high-rise condos, and office towers is a much smaller city. The Port St. Lucie neighborhood farthest to the west is Tradition, the town square of which can be seen in the photograph on the left, and from which 70 wild boars have been removed over the past two years.

Tradition is a master-planned community with a small-town feel, and I must say, it is a very impressive community. It has 500 acres of lakes and 300 acres of parks and nature areas, which makes for a beautiful community. But just to west are wetlands, lakes, and swamps, home to wild boars, alligators and giant pythons. Like bears occasionally following streams down from the mountains into the Denver metropolitan area, these wild animals often wander into Port St. Lucie. After all, they were there first. Children in Tradition are afraid to go out into their backyards these days, and I can't say I blame them. Florida Fish and Wildlife has warned that it is mating season for wild boars, and that can make them particularly aggressive if you happen to cross paths with them.

Port St. Lucie has grown into such a large urban area because, for many years, it was very affordable for people either moving to Florida or relocating within the state. Homes with large backyards for growing families, as well as apartments or condos for seniors on a fixed income, were within reach. Of course, with the cost of housing exploding since the pandemic, it has gone from affordable to "more affordable," according to the city manager. Personally, I think much of Port St. Lucie is pretty ugly, but it does have its nice areas, such as the older neighborhoods close to Stuart and, of course, Tradition, which has a really nice town square that is the location for various community events, including 4th of July fireworks, a Thanksgiving turkey trot, as well as many other types of festivals. Although if you are there after nightfall, I suggest you keep an eye out for those damn boars.