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City to accept $3.37 million FDEP grant to convert two septic neighborhoods to sewer; resident asks to expand scope
Summary
Clearwater accepted a Florida Department of Environmental Protection Water Quality Improvement Grant for $3,366,540 to extend sanitary sewer to two neighborhoods identified as priorities in the city's 2024 septic-to-sewer feasibility study. A resident requested inclusion of an adjacent street not in the current project scope.
The Clearwater City Council voted unanimously Oct. 15 to accept a $3,366,540 Water Quality Improvement Grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to fund the Harbor Vista and Meadowbrook septic‑to‑sewer expansion project.
Caitlin Price, utilities engineering manager, told the council the grant will reimburse the city for costs associated with expanding sanitary sewer infrastructure to two residential areas identified as top priorities in the city’s 2024 feasibility study. Price said the total project cost is estimated at about $3,740,600 and that the Public Utilities Department will fund the work and submit the state reimbursement request.
A member of the public, Shirley Peterson, asked the council to consider adding Pineland Drive to the project scope. Peterson spoke on behalf of her son, who owns two homes on Pineland Drive, and said including the street would eliminate an enclave of septic systems, improve water quality in Stephenson Creek/ Spring Branch, and produce staging and budget efficiencies by adding the road to the same construction contract.
City staff responded that the grant scope cannot be changed at this stage because of FDEP timelines. Price and other staff explained Pinewood/Pineland Drive was not ranked in the top two priority areas in the feasibility scoring; design considerations such as road profile and likely need for a lift station made inclusion more complex. Council members said staff would look for potential future expansions but that the current grant must proceed as awarded.
The council approved accepting the grant and authorizing the agreement with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection by unanimous vote.
Ending
Staff said the work supports the city’s environmental stewardship goals and will proceed once the state grant agreement is executed; residents in adjacent neighborhoods asked staff to consider future phases and better communication about timelines.
