Contractor fined $1,500 for illicit discharge at Bay Esplanade; board finds damage irreparable

The Clearwater Code Enforcement Board approved a stipulated order Aug. 27 finding that J.S. Perry and Company committed an illicit discharge to the city stormwater system at 839 Bay Esplanade and assessed a $1,500 fine as an irreparable‑harm penalty.
Assistant City Attorney Jared Simpson explained the case type to the board and said the city negotiated a stipulated agreement with the contractor’s counsel rather than requiring attendance at a hearing. City staff described illicit discharges as material other than stormwater that enters the municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) and noted the program stems from the federal Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) obligations.
Deputy City Engineer Jeremy Brown and environmental code inspector Jarvis Schiller introduced the Public Works staff who investigate and document incidents. Simpson told the board the city considered the effects of the discharge irreversible once pollutants leave the system and enter receiving waters, and thus the case qualified for a flat irreparable‑harm fine. The board voted to find a violation and approved the stipulated civil penalty of $1,500, payable within 30 days of the order; the city may record the order as a lien if unpaid and pursue collection remedies.
City staff told the board they will continue education and inspection efforts and that more illicit‑discharge cases may be brought forward as enforcement of NPDES obligations ramps up.