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Martin County tentatively approves 134 grinder hookups for Sewell's Point after heated debate
Summary
After residents described sewage surfacing and environmental harm, the Martin County Board narrowly voted 3–2 to grant tentative approval for 134 additional grinder connections tied to an $8.4 million DEP grant, subject to plan approval and a town commitment to pursue gravity-system grants.
The Martin County Board of County Commissioners voted 3–2 on Nov. 18 to grant tentative approval for the Town of Sewell’s Point to add 134 grinder sewer connections to a septic-to-sewer project, after residents and town officials described recurring sewage on streets and urged rapid use of expiring state funds.
The board’s action follows a town presentation that traced the project’s history to a 2022 interlocal agreement and an $8.4 million Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) resiliency grant for sanitary sewer. Town consultant Joe Capra told commissioners the interlocal originally contemplated 340 connections (two interlocal blocks of 169 and 171), and that the town now seeks 134 additional grinder stations in low-lying South Sewell’s Point areas to use remaining grant funds before a June 2026 expenditure deadline.
“Those are inches thick of nothing but raw sewage that’s just sitting there,” David Kurtzman, identified in the…
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