Legislative delegation approves bill to codify Punta Gorda utility district boundaries amid local opposition

Charlotte County's legislative delegation voted to approve a local bill that codifies the boundaries of the Punta Gorda Utility District and creates a statutory framework that would allow Charlotte County to assume potable water and wastewater service for certain lands outside the city through interlocal agreements.

Representative Vanessa Oliver, the bill's sponsor, told the delegation she filed the measure after city officials in early October described an "urgent and serious problem" related to Punta Gorda's water supply. Oliver said the city's peak demand of 9,500,000 gallons per day already exceeds the reliable output of its Shell Creek and reverse osmosis facilities, which she said can fall to as low as 8,000,000 gallons per day. "When people turn on the tap, water should come out…