Flagler County adds $10M legislative ask after residents press for Plantation Bay wastewater fix

At its Feb. 4, 2019, meeting, the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to add a $10 million legislative appropriation request to replace the wastewater treatment system serving Plantation Bay, after multiple residents described persistent water-quality problems and staff outlined engineering and funding needs.

The community’s concerns were front and center during the meeting’s public comment period. “It’s been over 5 years since the county took over and yet we don’t feel that there’s been a great deal of progress,” resident Lisa Hill told the commission. Shelly Kennedy, another Plantation Bay homeowner, said she drinks bottled water because she does not trust the tap and said tests by the Environmental Protection Agency had nonetheless reported the system as meeting minimum federal limits. Jane Jones Hill and other residents criticized the bid process for large treatment projects and urged quicker action for customers with medical needs such as dialysis.

Why it matters: Plantation Bay’s utility has been under a Department of Environmental Protection consent order for years, and county staff and engineers say the short-term and long-term fixes will require…