Service Areas / Dundee
Docks, Seawalls & Shoreline Work in Dundee
We build on Lake Marie, Crystal Lake, Lake Trask, and Lake Dell — the quiet ridge-country lakes of Dundee's eight-lake chain.
Dundee lakes we work
Dundee sits on a chain of eight small lakes — Marie, Dell, Menzie, Crystal, Trask, Ada, Josephine, Ruth — strung across the Lake Wales Ridge, and that geology dictates how you build here. The ridge lays down fine white quartz sand that drains fast and won't hold a poorly set pile or an undersized wall. You're not fighting deep muck the way you would on lower Polk County lakes; you're reading a soft, well-drained sand bank that slides if it loses its cover. Lake Marie, the public 32-acre lake the town built its park around, is Dundee's anchor; Crystal Lake and the newer homes around Lake Dell and Lake Trask are bringing in waterfront owners who are putting in their first dock or seawall.
These are small, low-traffic lakes — most run well under 150 acres, with short fetch and no ski-corridor wake — so the design problem isn't heavy fendering, it's longevity and clean access on a sand bottom that shifts. The water tends to run clearer than the murkier lakes down in central Polk, which makes the bottom easy to read at the pile line but also means shoreline erosion shows plainly, and neighbors notice it as fast as you do.
Our license is SCC131154313 — state certified through the Florida DBPR, not county registered. Vince Strawbridge oversees every Dundee project from the first walkthrough to the last.
What We Build in Dundee
Three ways we work your shoreline
Docks in Dundee
On Dundee's ridge lakes we size the dock to the water in front of it — short fetch on Lake Marie and Lake Dell means light wave action, but the loose sand bottom still demands a pile set to real depth, not floated in. We build fixed and floating systems and work the newer Lake Trask and Lake Dell lots where owners are putting in a first dock. Call for a free waterfront assessment before you lock in a design.
How we build it →Seawalls in Dundee
We push vinyl sheet pile on Dundee's freshwater lakes. Vinyl doesn't corrode, so it outlasts aluminum or steel on a lake where the level cycles seasonally and the splash zone never gets a break. The ridge's porous sand erodes fast once a bank loses its toe, and a properly embedded vinyl wall stops that migration cold — no rust bleeding into the water, no panel rotting at the waterline. We set sheet depth to the scour at each site instead of cutting it short to save a few feet.
How we build it →Shoreline & Erosion Control in Dundee
On the sheltered, low-energy stretches that make up most of Lake Marie, Crystal Lake, and Lake Dell, a riprap revetment or a native-vegetation living shoreline often costs less than a full wall and keeps the natural ridge-lake look these shorelines are known for. Deep-rooted native plantings knit the loose sand together and slow the runoff coming off the ridge before it cuts the bank. We'll tell you straight whether riprap, bio-stabilization, or hard armoring is the right call for your specific stretch.
How we build it →Dundee Permitting
Who permits your project
Properties inside Dundee's incorporated limits pull building permits through the Town of Dundee Development Services Department, located at 124 Dundee Road. Lakefront lots just outside the town line sit in unincorporated Polk County and permit through the county's building department instead — and parcels up around Lake Hamilton may fall under the separate Town of Lake Hamilton, so confirm your jurisdiction before you submit. Either way, any structure touching the water also needs an Environmental Resource Permit (ERP) from SWFWMD, and submerged-land work can trigger a separate Florida DEP review through the Southwest District office.
Single-family docks under 500 sq ft are often exempt from Florida DEP review, but the local building permit still applies — and seawall and shoreline work on the water frequently triggers DEP or SWFWMD review on top of it. We handle the entire path. You don't contact the agencies.
Permitting authority
Town of Dundee Development Services Department
We confirm jurisdiction by your exact address before filing anything — the city line runs through more neighborhoods than people expect.
Building on the water in Dundee?
Free waterfront assessment · License #SCC131154313
Service Area
Waterfront areas we serve in Dundee
Outside Dundee? See all the areas we serve →
Notes from the Horizon
Stories from Dundee's lakes
We write about the water we work on. A few from the lakes around Dundee:
FAQ
Dundee questions
Who issues building permits for dock and seawall work in Dundee?+
If your lot is inside Dundee's town limits, permits go through the Town of Dundee Development Services Department at 124 Dundee Road. Lots in unincorporated Polk County permit through the county building department, and parcels up near Lake Hamilton may fall under the separate Town of Lake Hamilton. Confirm your jurisdiction first — the lines aren't obvious on lakefront lots.
Do I need a permit from SWFWMD as well as the town?+
Yes. Any structure built over or into the water — dock, seawall, or shoreline armoring — also needs an Environmental Resource Permit from the Southwest Florida Water Management District, which covers Polk County. We handle the ERP application as part of the project.
Why do you push vinyl seawall on Dundee's lakes?+
Vinyl sheet pile doesn't corrode in freshwater, so it outlasts aluminum and steel by decades. On the loose, porous sand of the Lake Wales Ridge, a failing wall lets fine sand migrate straight through and the bank starts to go. Vinyl holds that toe without bleeding rust into the water.
What is the lake bottom like on Lake Marie and Crystal Lake?+
These ridge lakes sit on fine quartz sand, so the bottom runs sandier and clearer than the muck-heavy lakes down in lower Polk County. That makes setting piles more predictable, but the sand bank above the waterline needs careful work to keep it from sloughing once it's disturbed.
Can I get a living shoreline instead of a seawall on my Dundee lake?+
On the sheltered stretches that cover most of Lake Marie, Lake Dell, and Crystal Lake, a native-vegetation or riprap shoreline is often the better and cheaper fix. We'll tell you at the assessment whether a living shoreline fits your bank or whether the spot genuinely needs a hard wall.
How close to Dundee does Horizon Marine work?+
Dundee is in our core Polk County footprint. We build across the Dundee chain — Lake Marie, Crystal Lake, Lake Trask, Lake Dell — and know the Town of Dundee and Polk County permitting routes for waterfront structures.
Free Dundee waterfront assessment
Planning a dock, a seawall, or fixing an eroding bank — or just figuring out what's possible on your shoreline? We'll come take a look at no charge.
(863) 934-6218State Certified Marine Contractor · License #SCC131154313 · Fully insured · Serving Dundee & Central Florida