HOMES OF THE TREASURE COAST
Let us take the wheel, you sit back and relax.
Your island family is here to make sure your dreams become a
Making Island Living Easy, Breezy!
52
The Wakeman estate was
built around an oak hammock,
but its name, The
Hammock, also refers to
the hanging chairs found
around the property.
RIVER CONSERVATIONIST
Looking north across the St. Lucie River toward Rio, the
house is the only one that can’t be seen for the foliage. The
Wakemans’ paradise was threatened two years ago with the
appearance of harmful blue-green algae.
“We live here on the banks of the St. Lucie River and we
lived in the aerosol plume of that disaster,” said Rufus, a Florida
Institute of Technology graduate. “I hate to see the political
injustice. The everglades need fresh water. And the EAA
(Everglades Agricultural Area) used to be the everglades. We
have to move the water south of the lake and we have to save
the estuaries. The water is still in crisis.”
Always a waterman, Rufus is active in efforts to save Florida
rivers and has testified at hearings in Tallahassee. For 18
years, he has been the president of the Martin County chapter
of the Coastal Conservation Association, a fishermen’s advocacy
group. The couple also open their home on occasion and
the River Palm facilities to benefits for environmental causes.
“This is an easy house to live in,” Rufus said. “It is informal.
I love to look outside every day and see everything natural
and aesthetically pleasing. When the kids are grown and
gone, we will probably have to downsize.”
Until then it is another day in paradise at The Hammock.
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946 Seaway Drive, Suite A | Fort Pierce, FL 34949
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