Water Project Wishlist Includes $126K For Century, $26 Million in Escambia, Santa Rosa

February 18, 2015

Water-related projects totaling nearly $1.2 billion have been proposed as state lawmakers decide how to carve up a pot of money that voters want for land and water conservation and management.

The list of 475 requested water projects across the state includes almost $26.7 million in local projects in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties:

  • Lime additional facilities at the Century wastewater treatment plant, $126,000.
  • Flood improvement project for the Institute for Machine and Human Cognition, $550,000.
  • Innerarity water and sewer upgrade in Escambia County, $1,020,000.
  • Milton beneficial effluent reuse project, $349,115.
  • East Milton water reclamation and effluent disposal facility, $15,000,000
  • Santa Rosa County Navarre Beach wastewater treatment plant relocation, $9,650,000.

The East Milton project is among the largest requests in the state, which range from $96.8 million for phase two of the Yankee Lake Surface Water Plant in Seminole County to $15,000 for the replacement of sewage flowmeters in Miami-Dade County.

The House Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee panel is working to define the intent of the ballot initiative, which was known as Amendment 1 and was approved by 75 percent of voters.

“There is going to be somebody, somewhere, that isn’t happy with the way the funds are distributed,” subcommittee Chairman Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, said. “It’s going to happen, because there are so many people and so many perspectives.”

The amendment, which directs 33 percent of the proceeds from a real-estate tax to land and water projects, is expected to provide $757 million for the efforts during the fiscal year that starts July 1.

Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida, contributed to this report.


Comments

5 Responses to “Water Project Wishlist Includes $126K For Century, $26 Million in Escambia, Santa Rosa”

  1. Bob C. on February 19th, 2015 9:45 am

    One project that can easily, and smartly, deleted is the proposal / plan to have a “fish hatchery” in downtown Pensacola on prime waterfront.
    Only a ding-dong would want that.
    And, the public access to the ballpark and waterfront is being encroached upon by proposed buildings.

  2. 429SCJ on February 19th, 2015 8:04 am

    @Johnny, you might just be surprised.

  3. Johnny on February 18th, 2015 4:07 pm

    Who in the world is going to go to century for night life?

  4. 429SCJ on February 18th, 2015 7:01 am

    A nice river walk with night clubs and restaurants is a water project that Century could benefit from.

  5. well on February 18th, 2015 4:48 am

    Not exactly what everyone thought they were voting for I bet.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News