PROTECT NEWFIELDSign the petition

Palm City, Martin County, Florida

Our promised treatment marsh became a 2.4-million-cubic-yard river muck site. The county ran the legal ads. No resident spoke.

250 acres on the C-23 canal at the north edge of Newfield, next to Florida's Turnpike, is designated to hold muck dredged from the St. Lucie River: roughly 400 feet from Port St. Lucie homes and a half mile to a mile from Newfield homes. We support cleaning the river. We are asking for current testing of what would be placed here, real conditions in the deed, and a public process, or a return to the treatment marsh and recreation area that was originally agreed. The county votes to accept the deed on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 1:30 PM.

Sign the petitionEmail all 5 commissionersExplore the impact map
2.4M
cubic yards of river muck
250
acres, two parcels on the C-23
400 ft
to the nearest homes (Port St. Lucie)
2000–03
date of the only sediment data we have seen

The vote is Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026 at 1:30 PM

Martin County Commission, agenda item DEPT-6: "Conservation Easement & Property Donated for an Environmental Parcel." Commission Chambers, 2401 SE Monterey Road, Stuart. Fill out a Request to Speak form, hand it to the bailiff before the item starts, and you get 3 minutes. Be there by 1:00 PM.

Read the Nov. 10 agendaAll upcoming meetings
Illustration: a new Florida neighborhood beside a vast open basin of drying river sediment

The one line for the podium

The county is being asked to accept material whose last characterization predates the iPhone, with no conditions attached, next to homes that did not exist when the 2004 plan picked this land.
  • 2000–2003
    The only sediment testing cited. The iPhone launched in 2007.
  • 0
    Conditions in the July 2026 amendment on testing, lining, monitoring, odor, traffic or volume.
  • 2004
    When the Army Corps chose this land. It was a sod farm. Newfield did not exist.

Every word of that sentence is in the public record. Say it at the podium on Nov. 10, then ask for the testing.

Illustration, not a photograph of the site.

What happened

The news story was "developer donates land to restore the river." The county's own records add important context. This summary was assembled by a Newfield resident from the county agenda files, the July amendment, the meeting minutes and the Army Corps' 2004 plan. Sources are linked so you can check the work, and we will correct anything shown to be wrong.

  1. 2004

    Army Corps + SFWMD publish the Indian River Lagoon-South plan

    Part of Everglades restoration. Calls for removing 7.9 million cubic yards of muck from the St. Lucie River and pumping it to a permanent 640-acre disposal site 'just south of C-23 and just west of the Florida Turnpike.' At the time the land was a sod farm. Nobody lived next door.

    Source
  2. 2007

    Congress authorizes the project

    Other pieces get built over the years (the C-44 reservoir, the C-23/C-24 treatment areas). The muck removal is never funded.

  3. 2020

    Martin County approves Newfield

    The development agreement requires the developer to design, permit and build a 125-acre TREATMENT MARSH along the C-23 to clean canal water before it reaches the river, usable for recreation. Not a muck dump. 70% of Newfield is promised as open space and conservation.

  4. 2022

    Mattamy Homes becomes master developer

    Homes are marketed on 'building less, preserving more.' Buyers close on lots with the northern open space shown as preserved.

    Source
  5. 2024

    County accepts a conservation easement over Newfield's open space

    The easement covers part of the very land now proposed for muck storage.

  6. Jun 23 – Jul 28, 2026

    County staff propose swapping the marsh for dredged-material storage. Passes 5-0. Minutes record no public comment.

    A staff-initiated amendment, prepared by Deputy Growth Management Director Peter Walden at the request of Environmental Resource Administrator John Maehl, deletes Mattamy's obligation to build the treatment marsh and re-designates the 125 acres as an 'environmental parcel' for dredged material. According to the county staff presentation, '60% of impact fees are credited to Developer for the 125 acres.' The county published the required legal advertisements for both hearings. No resident spoke at either one; most of us first learned of the change from the October 28 news coverage.

    Source
  7. Oct 28, 2026

    Dedication ceremony. News calls it a 'donation.'

    Mattamy, Martin County, FIND, SFWMD and the Army Corps hold a ceremony. Maj. Cory Bell (USACE) calls it 'an important step.' Mattamy's Newfield Instagram account shares the broadcast. The Corps states it has no funding, no start date and no chosen removal method.

    Source
  8. Nov 10, 2026 · 1:30 PM

    THE VOTE: County accepts the deed and amends the conservation easement (DEPT-6)

    Agenda item DEPT-6, 'Conservation Easement & Property Donated for an Environmental Parcel.' Per the agenda materials Mattamy has already executed the deed; the deed itself was not posted with the agenda. This is the moment conditions can still be written into it.

    Source

What the "donation" headline leaves out

  • The 2020 agreement required Mattamy to design, permit and build a 125-acre treatment marsh with recreation. In July the county deleted that requirement.
  • Under the amendment Mattamy conveys the land without the obligation to build the marsh or the recreation area.
  • Every Newfield home permit pays an open-space impact fee, and according to the county staff presentation, "60% of impact fees are credited to Developer for the 125 acres." We have asked what that is worth.
  • The amendment was prepared by Deputy Growth Management Director Peter Walden at the request of Environmental Resource Administrator John Maehl. The emails behind it are public record.

What we know, and don't, about the muck

We are told it is mostly clay and silt plus fertilizer nutrients, salt and some copper from old citrus groves, and that testing from 2000 to 2003 showed metals below Florida residential soil limits. We hope that is right. But that data is more than twenty years old and did not fully cover arsenic, mercury, pesticides, PCBs or boat-paint compounds. Peer-reviewed studies from that same era found most metals in weakly mobile forms, but also cadmium above typical compost levels, zinc, copper and lead that become more soluble as muck dries and acidifies, and the pesticides DDD, DDE and ametryn above NOAA sediment screening levels.

The questions that follow: salt or metals reaching shallow groundwater if the basin is unlined, nutrient-rich drain water returning to the canal, and dust, odor and mosquitoes during years of drying. The July amendment contains no conditions addressing any of these. We are not claiming to know what is in today's muck. We are saying no one should accept it without finding out.

If you have an environmental, engineering or public-health background, we need you. Use the comment box when you sign.

Interactive impact map

Toggle layers to see the two parcels, the C-23 canal, nearby homes, and estimated impact zones for odor, water, trucks, and mosquitoes. Click a layer name for the evidence behind it.

Loading interactive map…

Who is involved

Every one of these is a public agency, a public official, or the company that sold us our homes. Each has a public role in this decision and a public contact. Be firm, be factual, be civil. Nothing here alleges wrongdoing; it describes who decided what, from public records.

Mattamy Homes (Southeast Florida Division)

Newfield master developer. Conveyed 125 acres of Newfield's open-space land to the county for dredged-material placement.

The 2020 agreement required Mattamy to design, permit and BUILD a 125-acre treatment marsh with recreation. The July 2026 amendment deleted that obligation. Under the amendment Mattamy conveys the land without building the marsh, and the county staff presentation states 60% of Newfield's open-space impact fees are credited to the developer for the 125 acres. VP James Fitzgerald described it to the media on Oct. 28, 2026 as a donation.

Contact: Dan Grosswald, Division President · James Fitzgerald, VP Community Development · (561) 413-6100 · 2500 Quantum Lakes Dr, Suite 215, Boynton Beach

Official page

Martin County Board of County Commissioners

Approved the amendment to the Newfield agreement creating the 125-acre 'environmental parcel' and is the receiving landowner.

Voted 5-0 on July 28, 2026 to swap the treatment marsh for muck storage. Minutes show no public comment. Votes again Nov. 10 at 1:30 PM (DEPT-6) to accept the deed and amend the conservation easement. Chair Sarah Heard (D4), Vice Chair Ed Ciampi (D5, Palm City), Eileen Vargas (D1), Stacey Hetherington (D2, leaving Nov. 17), J. Blake Capps (D3).

Contact: district1@ … district5@martin.fl.us · comish@martin.fl.us · (772) 288-5400

Official page

Commissioner Ed Ciampi (District 5)

Represents Palm City and Newfield. Our commissioner.

Ask him directly how he weighed placing a 250-acre dredged-material site beside his constituents' homes, what notice Newfield residents received, and whether he will support conditions or a postponement.

Contact: district5@martin.fl.us · (772) 221-1357

Official page

Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND)

State special taxing district that owns the adjacent 125 acres and builds dredged-material management areas.

FIND told the county that paired storage areas simplify removing millions of cubic yards. FIND is currently in a public dispute with Vero Beach residents over a far smaller basin.

Contact: Executive Director Janet Zimmerman, jzimmerman@aicw.org · Martin County seat: Michael Kennedy, mkennedy@aicw.org · (561) 627-3386

Official page

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District

Federal sponsor of Indian River Lagoon South (CERP). Will dredge the muck and will permit FIND's basin.

Maj. Cory Bell spoke at the Oct. 28 dedication. Commander: Col. Brandon Bowman. IRL-S project manager: Michael Drog. The Corps is authorized but unfunded, and has not chosen a removal method.

Official page

South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD)

State partner on IRL-South and operator of the C-23 canal next to the site.

Executive Director Drew Bartlett. Any discharge of decant water from the basin into C-23 would involve SFWMD and FDEP.

Official page

John Maehl, Environmental Resource Administrator (Martin County staff)

Requested the amendment that turned the treatment marsh into a muck site.

He has offered to come to Newfield and answer questions. He is the right person for the hard questions: who first proposed the swap, why, and what the impact-fee credits are worth in dollars.

Contact: Via County Administrator: CountyAdministrator@martin.fl.us · Records: public_records@martin.fl.us

Peter Walden, Deputy Growth Management Director (Martin County staff)

Prepared the July 2026 amendment at Mr. Maehl's request.

The emails between staff, Mattamy, FIND and the Corps that produced the amendment are public records under Florida Chapter 119. We are requesting them.

Contact: public_records@martin.fl.us

Knight Kiplinger

Newfield's original visionary who won county approval in 2020 on a 'build less, preserve more' promise.

70% of Newfield was pledged as open space and conservation. The muck site comes out of that pledge.

What we demand

We are for cleaning the river. This is about doing it right, with current information and the people who live here at the table. The Army Corps has no funding and no start date, so the terms can still be set.

AT MINIMUM – New testing, published, before the county accepts the deed

  • Fresh sediment characterization of the muck proposed for this site (metals including arsenic and mercury, pesticides, PCBs, organotins, salinity), with results posted publicly. The only data we have been shown is from 2000 to 2003.
  • Groundwater monitoring wells installed and a baseline sampled before construction, with public quarterly reporting.
  • Decant water treated for nitrogen and phosphorus before it returns to the C-23 canal.
  • Pipeline delivery only. No muck trucks on Palm City or Newfield roads.
  • A hard cap on volume, a defined end date, and a defined end use.
  • Written notice and an in-person public meeting for Newfield and the Port St. Lucie (Becker Rd) side before any permit is filed.

BETTER – Postpone the Nov. 10 vote until residents have been heard

  • Post the deed and the easement amendment publicly before any vote.
  • Draft the conditions above with resident input.
  • Martin County, Mattamy, FIND and the Army Corps hold a joint public meeting in Palm City.
  • Disclose what the impact-fee credits are worth.

AT MAXIMUM – Return to the original plan: build the treatment marsh and recreation area. No muck here.

  • Mattamy designs, permits and builds the 125-acre treatment marsh with recreation it agreed to in 2020.
  • The Corps and the county publish the alternative disposal sites they evaluated and choose one that is not next to homes.
  • The conservation easement over Newfield's open space stays intact.

Seven questions the county must answer before Nov. 10

  1. Who first proposed swapping the C-23 treatment marsh for dredged-material storage, and why?
  2. What are the open-space impact-fee credits for this land worth to Mattamy in dollars?
  3. Will the muck be tested before it comes here, for what (arsenic, mercury, copper, PCBs, pesticides, organotin boat-paint compounds, salinity), and will residents see the results?
  4. Will the basin be lined, and will there be groundwater monitoring wells with a baseline taken first?
  5. Pipeline or trucks, and on what roads?
  6. Is this a one-time site or permanent? Where does the other 5.5 million cubic yards from the river plan go?
  7. Will the county hold the Nov. 10 vote so resident input can be written into the deed?

Sign the community petition

Your name and signature go on a printed petition and letter delivered to the Martin County Board of County Commissioners before the Nov. 10 vote, with copies to FIND, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District, SFWMD, Mattamy Homes, Rep. Brian Mast and our state legislators.

Read the full letter you are signing
  • One signature per email. Your email is never published or shared.
  • Add your street address if you can. Petitions from identifiable residents carry more weight at the podium.
  • Live in Port St. Lucie near Becker Road? You are the closest neighbors. Please sign and share.

Add your name and signature

Your signature *

Upcoming meetings on this issue

Where the conversations are happening and who is having them. Agendas for county meetings are finalized the Thursday before each meeting by 3 PM on Legistar.

Mon, Nov 9, 2026
Confirmed
Newfield residents

Vote in Sharon Russo's poll: date for the John Maehl Q&A

📍 Neighborhood Facebook group

County Environmental Resource Administrator John Maehl (the staffer who requested the amendment) has offered to come to Newfield and answer questions. The meeting must happen BEFORE the Nov. 10 vote. If Nov. 12 is the only date he can do, we ask the county to hold Tuesday's vote until after we've met.

Tue, Nov 10, 2026
1:30 PM – item DEPT-6 (arrive by 1:00 PM to submit your Request to Speak form)
Confirmed
Martin County Board of County Commissioners

THE VOTE – Item DEPT-6: Conservation Easement & Property Donated for an Environmental Parcel

📍 Commission Chambers, Martin County Administration Building, 2401 SE Monterey Road, Stuart

The board votes to accept Mattamy's deed and amend Newfield's conservation easement so muck can be stored on it. Fill out a Request to Speak form and hand it to the bailiff before the item starts. You get 3 minutes. Coordinate so we each make a different point. Ask the board to TABLE the item until the deed is public, conditions are drafted, and residents have met with staff.

Agenda / details
Thu, Nov 12, 2026
Requested
Newfield residents + Martin County staff

Q&A with John Maehl, Environmental Resource Administrator (date being polled)

📍 Newfield, Palm City. Exact venue to be announced in the neighborhood group.

Provence Bay residents in Vero Beach won a comment-period extension by demanding an in-person meeting. We should demand the same before any permit is filed.

Tue, Nov 17, 2026
9:00 AM
Confirmed
Martin County Board of County Commissioners

BOCC Regular & Organizational Meeting

📍 Commission Chambers, 2401 SE Monterey Road, Stuart

New District 2 commissioner Christopher 'Doc' Collins is seated and the board elects its chair. A new board can be asked to reconsider the Newfield amendment.

Agenda / details
Thu, Nov 19, 2026
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Confirmed
Rivers Coalition

Monthly public meeting (in person + Zoom)

📍 Stuart City Hall Chambers, 121 SW Flagler Ave, Stuart

The clean-water coalition that champions muck removal. Captains for Clean Water is a member. Ask them to support siting the muck away from homes. Zoom link: contact@riverscoalition.org

Thu, Nov 19, 2026
9:30 AM
Confirmed
Newfield Community Development District (CDD)

CDD Board meeting

📍 1050 SW Prairie Ave, Palm City

Per its own 2024 audit the CDD board is made up entirely of people affiliated with Mattamy. It will not push on this unless residents show up. Ask the board to go on record for the Good/Better/Best conditions and to require buyer disclosure.

Agenda / details
Tue, Dec 1, 2026
9:00 AM
Confirmed
Martin County Board of County Commissioners

BOCC Regular Meeting

📍 Commission Chambers, 2401 SE Monterey Road, Stuart

Watch the agenda (posted the Thursday before by 3 PM) for the second public hearing on the Newfield environmental-parcel amendment or any interlocal agreement with FIND / the Corps.

Agenda / details
Fri, Dec 11, 2026
Date to verify
Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) Board of Commissioners

Monthly board meeting (date to verify)

📍 Rotates by county. FIND usually holds a Thursday-evening public outreach session and a Friday 8:00 AM board meeting. Office: (561) 627-3386

FIND owns the adjacent 125 acres and will seek Army Corps and FDEP permits for the basin. Public comment is taken at every board meeting.

Agenda / details
Tue, Dec 15, 2026
9:00 AM
Confirmed
Martin County Board of County Commissioners

BOCC Regular Meeting

📍 Commission Chambers, 2401 SE Monterey Road, Stuart

Last regular meeting of 2026. Deadline to deliver the signed petition before the holiday break.

Agenda / details

News and records

Everything published about this site, the deal, the precedent in Vero Beach, and the science on what is in the muck.

Instagram @newfield_flCommunity

Newfield's own Instagram account shares the Fox 29 'land donation to restore St. Lucie River' story

Fri, Oct 30, 2026

The developer's community account reposted the Fox 29 broadcast map showing the 'Newfield Contribution' and 'FIND' parcels north-east of the Crossroads homes.

WPTV / WFLX Fox 29Deal

Mattamy Homes donates 125 acres in Martin County to support St. Lucie River restoration

Wed, Oct 28, 2026

Mattamy VP James Fitzgerald confirms 125 acres from the northern section of Newfield go to Martin County to hold river muck. FIND adds an adjacent 125 acres. Combined capacity: 2.4 million cubic yards. Dredging starts once federal funding is authorized.

TCPalm / Treasure Coast Newspapers (via Yahoo)Deal

Florida muck-removal project has land, but needs money

Wed, Oct 28, 2026

Two adjacent Palm City sites totaling 250 acres near Florida's Turnpike, north and west of Newfield. Army Corps Maj. Cory Bell spoke at the Oct. 28 dedication. The Corps is authorized to remove 8 million cubic yards of muck but has no funding and no removal method chosen. The article mentions no residents and no opposition.

Business Development Board of Martin CountyDeal

Mattamy Homes Invests in Martin County's Future Through Newfield

Mon, Aug 10, 2026

Describes a July dedication of 125 acres alongside Martin County, SFWMD, FIND and the Army Corps. Mattamy is called the first and only private-sector partner in the CERP clean-water initiative.

Citizen Portal (BOCC meeting summary)Approval

Board approves Newfield amendment to identify 125-acre environmental parcel for lagoon muck management

Tue, Jul 28, 2026

County commissioners approve a staff-initiated amendment to the Newfield agreement designating ~125 acres as an environmental parcel for placement and management of dredged material. Staff said it was the first of two required public hearings.

Citizen Portal (BOCC meeting summary)Approval

County proposes using Newfield conservation land to support IRL South dredge project; Corps and FIND back plan

Tue, Jun 23, 2026

Staff propose that conserved open-space land next to the C-23 canal become a permanent upland disposal site for Indian River Lagoon South spoil. FIND says paired storage areas simplify removing millions of cubic yards.

Citizen Portal (BOCC meeting summary)Approval

Board hears amendment with Newfield to use 125-acre parcel for excavated-material storage

Tue, Jun 23, 2026

Quasi-judicial public hearing on the amendment to the Newfield agreement covering the ~125-acre environmental parcel.

WQCSBackground

Martin County approves changes to Newfield development conservation land

Mon, Apr 13, 2026

Unanimous vote removes 21.99 acres from the Newfield conservation easement (including 5.6 acres near the C-23 canal and Turnpike for an FPL substation) and adds 33.35 acres elsewhere. Shows that Newfield's conservation easement has already been amended once this year.

Vero NewsPrecedent

Residents fume over muck storage plan near lagoon

Thu, Nov 6, 2025

Provence Bay (Vero Beach) homeowners fight a FIND dredged-material basin for 163,000 cubic yards next to their homes, citing odor, toxics, flooding, mosquitoes and property values. The Corps extended its comment period after residents pushed back. The Newfield site's stated capacity is roughly fifteen times larger.

Central Florida Public MediaScience

Muck problems: what scientists are learning about the Indian River Lagoon

Fri, Sep 19, 2025

Florida Tech researchers explain how muck forms, why it smells (hydrogen sulfide from anaerobic decay) and why disposal is the hardest, costliest part of removal.

WQCSBackground

Martin County: Mattamy Homes Named Master Developer of Newfield Development

Tue, Jun 7, 2022

Newfield was sold to buyers on the promise that roughly 70% of its 3,400 acres would stay open space and conservation land.

NPRScience

Florida Battles With Tricky Removal Of Costly Muck In Indian River Lagoon

Thu, Apr 27, 2017

Drying muck on land takes many months to a year per batch. Brevard's Eau Gallie project ran a continuous cycle of pumping, drying and mounding for roughly two years.

Ecotoxicology (peer-reviewed)Science

Sediment Toxicity in the St. Lucie River Watershed and Everglades Agricultural Area

Thu, Jan 1, 2004

DDD, DDE and ametryn were the most frequently detected pesticides in St. Lucie River sediment; organochlorine levels typically exceeded NOAA freshwater sediment thresholds.

Environmental Geology (peer-reviewed)Science

Concentrations and solubility of heavy metals in muck sediments from the St. Lucie Estuary

Wed, Jan 1, 2003

59 muck samples: zinc, copper and lead can be released more readily under acidic conditions; cadmium averaged higher than typical U.S. municipal compost.

What you can do this week

1. Email the commissioners before Tuesday

Keep it short and civil. Say you support the cleanup and list the conditions you want. Subject line: Nov 10 DEPT-6, add conditions before accepting the Newfield muck parcel.

Open a pre-written email

2. Show up Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 1:30 PM

2401 SE Monterey Rd, Stuart. Request to Speak form to the bailiff before DEPT-6 starts. 3 minutes each. Coordinate in the neighborhood group so we cover different points: testing, groundwater, trucks, the deleted marsh, the impact-fee credits, the missing deed, the lack of notice.

3. Request the records

Anyone can ask for the deed, the easement amendment and the staff emails under Florida Chapter 119: public_records@martin.fl.us

4. File an official inquiry through Rep. Brian Mast's office

The federal money for this muck removal has to come through Congress, and Rep. Mast is a longtime champion of Captains for Clean Water and the St. Lucie cleanup. His office can open a formal congressional inquiry with the Army Corps on behalf of constituents. Ask him to tie any funding to sediment testing, groundwater monitoring, pipeline-only delivery and an alternative-site analysis.

Submit an inquiry (Help with a Federal Agency)Email Rep. Mast

Stuart office: 171 SW Flagler Ave, Stuart, FL 34994 · (772) 403-0900
Washington: 2182 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 · (202) 225-3026

5. Let Mattamy, FIND and the media hear from you

  • Mattamy Homes SE Florida: Dan Grosswald, Division President; James Fitzgerald, VP of Community Development. (561) 413-6100, Mattamy Homes Southeast Florida Division, 2500 Quantum Lakes Dr, Suite 215, Boynton Beach, FL. Ask them to publicly commit to the conditions.
  • FIND (owns the other half): Michael Kennedy (Secretary, Martin County seat) mkennedy@aicw.org; Executive Director Janet Zimmerman jzimmerman@aicw.org · (561) 627-3386
  • Media (so far the story is "developer donates land"): TCPalm – Tim O'Hara (covering this story) tim.ohara@tcpalm.com · WPTV news tips newstips@wptv.com · CBS12 news tips newstips@cbs12.com
  • Tell Port St. Lucie neighbors near Becker Rd. They are closest and probably never got notice because it is a Martin County item.