Okeechobee Waterway of Orlando and extending southward through the Kissimmee River Basin to the Everglades National Park to Florida Bay. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages five locks and dams along the Okeechobee Waterway. The St. Lucie lock was built in 1941 for navigation and flood-control purposes. In 1944, the connecting spillway structure was built for flood and regulatory flow control through the St. Lucie Canal to manage the water level in Lake Okeechobee. The Port Mayaca Lock and Dam was built in 1977 for navigation purposes, to permit the raising of water levels in Lake Okeechobee, and to moderate the
Effects of the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane in Florida There were four deaths, and severe damage totaling just under $13.8 million (1928 USD). At Palm Beach, which had many houses owned by wealthy individuals, approximately 1,500 houses and 500 businesses were destroyed. Damage totaled around $10 million. Inland, many communities on the southern and eastern shores of Lake Okeechobee, such as the cities of Belle Glade, Canal Point, Chosen, Miami Locks (today Lake Harbor), Pahokee, and South Bay, were ravaged by flooding after storm surge resulted in water pouring out of the shallow lake over the small dikes. Numerous structures were swept away or destroyed, and at least 2,500