Brevard County commissioners voted to direct staff to study and return with a public-facing plan to notify residents about PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) testing results and mitigation options.

The action followed a 20-minute presentation by Stell Bailey, a PFAS advocate and cancer survivor, who outlined how PFAS — a family of thousands of man-made “forever chemicals” used in firefighting foam, industrial processes and biosolids — persist in groundwater and accumulate in human blood and organs. "PFAS is linked to kidney and testicular cancer," Bailey said, urging local officials to provide straightforward testing information and interim protections for residents while long-term solutions are implemented.

Why it matters: Brevard relies heavily on groundwater for drinking water in many service areas, and several well results presented to the board showed concentrations above the federal reference level Bailey cited. Commissioners and residents described pockets of elevated levels — Bailey and the county presentation cited results ranging from low single digits to the tens of parts per trillion in some wells — and said advance public notice would allow households to consider interim measures such as point-of-use filters.

What the board voted to do: By unanimous voice vote, commissioners directed county staff to evaluate the feasibility of a county web page that would publish PFAS testing results and provide links to EPA and Florida Department of Environmental Protection guidance. The board asked staff to return with recommendations within about 30 days and to coordinate language with state and federal officials before publication.

Staff and technical details: Utilities staff (Eddie, Utilities Director) told commissioners the county conducts quarterly PFAS testing and supplemental sampling when requested by state or federal agencies, and that results are reported to state regulators. Eddie said the county has not yet routinely posted a centralized, county-maintained PFAS results page. He also explained that future reverse-osmosis (RO) plants planned for some service areas would remove PFAS but would produce a concentrated brine stream requiring deep-injection disposal wells as part of plant design.

Public reaction and next steps: Several residents recounted family cancer histories and pressed the board to notify affected users promptly. Commissioner Delaney, who brought the item forward, said she would also consult directly with affected neighborhoods before the return presentation. Staff will draft recommended content (simple explanatory text, links to EPA/FDEP, and the county’s measured values) and report back to the board at a future meeting.

The board’s direction was procedural — it does not change testing protocols or require immediate remediation — but it establishes county-level public communication and commits staff to return with an implementation plan.