Lake Placid utility advisers recommend keeping service boundary unchanged, focus on hookups, grants and plant connections

At a workshop on the town’s comprehensive-plan questions, the Lake Placid utilities advisory board recommended keeping the Lake Placid Regional Utility service-area boundary the same for now and focusing on connecting customers to the new treatment plant, securing grants for decommissioning older plants and shoring up utility finances.

The board’s discussion centered on whether to expand the utility boundary to include lakes and unincorporated neighborhoods north of town — including Lake June and areas around Lake Francis — or to concentrate on adding connections close to the new plant and stabilizing the utility’s cash flow. “I don’t see any sense in beating a dead horse,” Pam Brewer, a board member, said of changing the map that earlier boards had negotiated. Marlene Barker, a Lake June resident, urged the group to prioritize shorefront hot spots: “Many of the homes there have septic systems that are 60 years old. They’re 25 feet off the water.”

Bert, a utilities staff member, described the technical and financial constraints that shaped the recommendation. He noted the authority has a new, larger treatment plant but lacks customers: the plant is a million‑gallon facility while current flows are roughly 300,000 gallons a day, creating a shortfall in revenue to cover operations and maintenance. Bert told the board the authority must build “connections so I can maintain the system,” and that grant funding is not guaranteed, so the utility should prioritize areas where water mains already exist and where short sewer runs can tie into the new plant.

The discussion included several technical points about build strategy and system design. Staff advised starting expansion in denser, northern neighborhoods where water mains already exist and using low‑pressure sewer systems (grinder‑pump systems) in many outlying areas because initial installation costs and long‑term pipe maintenance can be lower than gravity sewers in those locations. Bert explained tradeoffs: low‑pressure systems use HDPE piping and manufacturer warranties on grinder pumps, while gravity mains often require more frequent and expensive manhole and pipe rehabilitation.

Board members and residents also debated the policy tools tied to expansion: annexation and mandatory hookups. Several speakers said state or grant programs commonly require municipalities to enforce mandatory hookups where sewer is available; staff noted a one‑year hookup window is a common enforcement timeframe tied to grant-funded projects. Board members expressed concern about the affordability impact on low‑income residents if hookups or annexation were required without targeted financial assistance. Bert said staff is pursuing connection grants and smaller, phased projects — and referenced a $40,000,000 grant plan that previously identified specific project areas.

Funding and operations were recurring themes. The board reviewed a Florida Rural Water study and a suggested rate study; staff said the rate study and a cash‑flow analysis would be presented at upcoming meetings. Options discussed for funding expansion included grants, development connection fees and revenue from new customers; speakers noted that without new connections the authority’s ability to secure additional grant funds could be limited.

The workshop produced a clear, nonbinding operational recommendation for the Highlands County comprehensive‑plan process: the advisory board’s consensus was to keep the Lake Placid Regional Utility boundaries as currently defined and to treat expansion as a future option tied to demonstrated connections, available grant funding and town/commission policy decisions. Bert said staff will convey that recommendation to county planners via the town/county liaison.

Next steps noted at the workshop: staff will bring the formal recommendation and the rate/cash‑flow study to the board’s regular meeting for an official recommendation to the town council; the board also planned a joint meeting with the town planning body the next week to discuss the county comp‑plan questions. Staff reiterated they would continue to pursue decommissioning of older plants (Tomoka and other lift stations), seek connections, and pursue grant opportunities to fund prioritized expansion and connection projects.