$200 Million Could Be Added To FL Budget For Piney Point Clean-Up

PALMETTO, FL — A state budget amendment could provide more than $200 million in funding for a full clean-up and restoration of the Piney Point reservoir site, where a wastewater crisis has threatened the area in recent days.

The amendment, proposed by Sen. Jim Boyd (R-Bradenton), will be considered by the Florida Senate when it discusses Senate Bill 2500, the General Appropriations Act, Wednesday. If approved, the state would provide funding to clean up and close the phosphogypsum stacks at Piney Point in Palmetto, according to a news release from the senate.

The amendment will add Boyd’s Local Funding Initiative No. 1155 to SB 2500, making the issue available for consideration when the state legislature finalizes the fiscal year 2021-22 budget later this month, the senate said.

“This is an issue that has impacted our community for a quarter of a century, and I am grateful to Gov. (Ron) DeSantis for prioritizing this cleanup and promising to hold the responsible parties accountable. With at least one prior accident and now another, recent events have illuminated the need to fix this problem and put it behind us once and for all,” Boyd said.

Senate President Wilton Simpson (R-Trilby) has committed to utilizing funds from the American Rescue Plan to ensure full clean up and restoration, which has been anticipated to cost and upwards of $200 million.

“This has been a catastrophe waiting to happen for too long. I have committed to Sen. Boyd that the Senate will advocate for utilizing federal funding to ensure a full and complete clean up and restoration. We don’t want to be talking about this problem again in five, 10 or 20 years. This is exactly the kind of longstanding infrastructure issue we need to address with the nonrecurring federal funds our state will receive from the American Rescue Plan,” he said.

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