Flagler County adds $10 million wastewater appropriation request after officials warn Plantation Bay tank is "buckling"

Flagler County commissioners voted unanimously to add a $10 million legislative appropriation request for replacement of the Plantation Bay wastewater treatment plant, citing an existing consent order, a buckling treatment tank and a Feb. 5 deadline to submit appropriations requests.

Commissioner Mark Hansen moved to add the appropriation request and Commissioner Joe Mullins seconded; the commission approved the motion unanimously.

Faith Alkateeb, Flagler County public works director and county engineer, told commissioners the county is working under a consent order and that the wastewater tank at the Plantation Bay plant “is buckling.” She said the county split a larger replacement project into two phases: a phase 1 construction contract currently under way with a loan from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) that totals about $5,000,000, and a phase 2 estimate to replace the plant and finish required work of about $9,770,000. Alkateeb said a temporary fix has been added as a change order to the phase 1 contract to relieve wall pressure on the existing metal tank but that the permanent replacement would require design and construction and likely take a year and a half to two years once funding is available.

“Since we took over that, few months ago, we did understand it's getting worse,” Alkateeb said. “In the meantime, we have an interim a temporary solution to fix it.”

Commissioners and staff described uncertainty about whether the existing tank can be fully repaired if it is drained and inspected; Alkateeb said the tank has never been drained to allow an internal inspection and that full repairability is “very unknown at this point.”

County staff said the previously listed $2,000,000 in the board’s legislative priorities was for public water system improvements (storage tank and well field) and not for wastewater plant replacement. Mike Esposito (county staff) confirmed the $2,000,000 currently in the priorities is tied to water improvements, not the wastewater plant.

Commissioners and staff said federal/state funding sources and program rules affect what the county can request and how much must be matched locally. The board heard that some grant or appropriation programs require a roughly 50% local match, meaning a $10 million request could require the county utility enterprise to provide approximately half the funds through loans or other means.

Public speakers representing Plantation Bay raised concerns about immediate risk, liability and long-term costs. Robert Gazzda of Royal Point Lane asked what the plan would be if the tank ruptured. Jane Jones Hilliard, who says she has attended workshops on the plant since 2013, urged commissioners to approve the request and reminded them that utility customers ultimately bear costs: “This money is coming out of our personal pockets,” Hilliard said. Several residents urged the county to pursue the funding quickly and suggested considering a moratorium on new plats or building approvals until the system capacity is assured.

County staff and the commission directed staff to prepare the detailed appropriations request forms the House and Senate require, and to begin design work if funding can be identified. Faith Alkateeb said she would coordinate with the county finance director to determine whether any funds are available to begin design work immediately.

The motion as approved added a separate legislative priority: a $10,000,000 appropriation request for replacement of the Plantation Bay wastewater treatment plant. Commissioners also asked staff to clarify language for legislators and to provide the specific project details appropriators require before the submission deadline. The board’s vote was recorded as unanimous.

The decision follows months of staff work on phased repairs and replacement, ongoing coordination with FDEP under a consent order, and repeated public workshops. Staff estimated the full permanent replacement at about $9.77 million and said the temporary repairs currently under contract are intended only to reduce immediate risk until a new plant can be designed and built.