Florida faces a 2030 septic mandate with no funding extension, leaving cities like Palm Bay in a costly race that could raise utility bills and taxes statewide.
Looks like these State mandates can get a wee bit expensive. (At least the affected people allegedly live near a waterway, unlike most Palm Bay residents) Orlando Sentinel Dec 15, 2025
Facing big bill for waste
Replacing septic tanks near Wekiva could cost Seminole
homeowners thousands
{{{Articles.Byline.1}}}
Seminole commissioners were hit with a stunning dose of sticker shock this week after learning a state
requirement to convert most septic tanks near the Wekiva River and Gemini Springs to sewer systems could
cost the county and homeowners hundreds of millions of dollars.
For example, a homeowner with a septic tank near the Wekiva River could have to shell out at least $75,000 if
they had to pick up the entire cost of digging up their old septic tank and replacing it with a sewer connection,
according to a county document.
“I would say that a majority of our residents would not be able to afford to pay that, even if they went to the
bank and got a loan,” Commissioner Jay Zembower said. “None of us want to do that.”
Despite the costs, commissioners and county staff acknowledged that protecting the environmentally
delicate springs is critical. Old septic systems are major contributors to nitrogen and phosphorus polluting the
water bodies.
“I think we all agree that we all want to clean up the environment,” Zembower said. “We want to be kind to the
environment. We want to get the nutrients out of the water… But that comes with a cost.”
In Sweetwater Club — an upscale neighborhood developed in the mid-1980s just south of Wekiwa Springs
State Park — all 176 homes have septic tanks and are in the state-mandated conversion area.
“I would love to be connected to a sewer system. It’s something that should be done, especially because of the
environmental concerns,” Sweetwater resident Bahram Yusefzadeh said in his front yard Friday. “But I don’t
believe the average middle-class community could afford something like that. I don’t think you’re going to get
much support from most neighborhoods.”
Yusefzadeh added that such a project would involve tearing up his neighborhood’s streets and residential
yards. He recalled replacing his home’s septic tank about 15 years ago at a cost of more than $30,000 and
what an “expensive mess” it was.
Seminole commissioners blasted state legislators for enacting such a mandate without providing funding,
and leaving it up to local governments to figure out the costs.
“We can’t impose this on our citizens,” Commissioner Lee Constantine said. “It’s too big. It’s too large. So at
some point, the Legislature is going to have to bite the bullet and do what’s right. The state is going to have to
decide how to pay for it.”
Under the 2016 state law designed to protect Florida’s natural springs, the county has until 2038 to connect
septic systems on lots of up to an acre to sewer lines in designated areas within the Wekiwa Springs Basin or
Gemini Springs Basin. Or the county can require homeowners to upgrade their septic tanks to modern
systems that release fewer nutrients into the springs
Number 1 issue that's not getting any enough attention. I guess it will be important when it gets down to the last few months before the unfunded mandate kicks in.
The mandate wants to force me to connect to a utility even though my house is miles away from the Lagoon. Yet they are willing to entertain a daily industrial discharge directly into the Lagoon?
Florida Today Nov 28, 2025
Lagoon discharge permit sought
Blue Origin would treat industrial wastewater
Jim Waymer
Florida Today USA TODAY NETWORK – FLORIDA
Blue Origin is seeking a state environmental permit to discharge about 15,000 gallons daily of “industrial wastewater” used in rocket component testing, cleaning and cooling operations to an onsite pond that flows to the Indian River Lagoon.
What’s happening?
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is preparing a draft permit to Blue Origin, LLC, to let Blue Origin operate a 490,000gallon-per-day industrial wastewater treatment plant that would discharge 15,000 gallons of wastewater to a 402,981-square-foot onsite stormwater pond, then to the Indian River Lagoon.
Where would this happen?
Blue Origin’s manufacturing site is at 8082 Space Commerce Way, Merritt Island, just east of Pine Island Conservation Area.
Why would this happen?
Blue Origin plans to use highly filtered water to test and clean rocket parts. Instead of sending the water to a sewer plant, the company wants to discharge it to the lagoon after it is diluted in the onsite pond.
What water quality parameters apply in this permit?
Oil and grease, pH, nitrogen, and phosphorus apply. Industrial wastewater includes water from manufacturing, commercial operations, cooling systems, and cleanup of chemical- contaminated sites.
If wastewater comes from an industrial process rather than toilets or sinks, it’s called industrial wastewater, even if it’s mostly water with mild contaminants.
What will Blue Origin have to do if it gets the permit?
Among other things: conduct continuous monitoring and sampling and ensure discharges don’t harm wildlife, human health, or violate water quality standards; follow a stormwater pollution prevention plan
How and when can I see the permit application?
DEP has issued a draft permit and plans to approve it unless public comments lead to changes. Anyone can submit comments or request a public meeting within 30 days of the public notice.
Final permit issuance is expected by late Dec. 2025.
The application file and supporting data are available for public inspection during normal business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except legal holidays, at DEP’s central district office, 3319
Maguire Blvd, Suite 232, Orlando, Florida 32803-3767, at phone number (407) 897-4100.
DEP intends to issue the permit unless as a result of public comment appropriate changes are made.
How do I provide comments or request a public meeting?
Submit written comments or written request for a public meeting to Randall Cunningham, 3319 Maguire Blvd, Suite 232, Orlando, Florida 32803-3767. Those requests must contain the information below and be received in DEP’s central district office:
● The commenter’s name, address and telephone number; the applicant’s name and address; DEP’s permit file number ( FL0A00007-002-IW7A); and the county in which the project is proposed (Brevard);
● A statement of how and when notice
of DEP’s action or proposed action was received;
● A statement of the facts DEP should consider in making the final decision;
● A statement of which rules or statutes require reversal or modification of DEP’s action or proposed action; and if desired, a request that a public meeting be scheduled, including a statement of the nature of the issues proposed to be raised at the meeting
Unless the septic system is located in proximity to a waterway, we as Palm Bay residents should be pushing back on this unfunded mandate with our State representatives. They come to us for votes when their term is up, they should be confronted about this. (they have rolled back similar requirements before when pressured by voters)
The issue of nitrogen runoff (over fertilizing lawns) is different from septic system leakage. The effect may be similar, the causes and solutions are different.
Can you elaborate? The #1 cause of nitrogen runoff is ag, followed by septic. This isn't about a LEAKAGE, but the process of how a septic works, normally, which can result in nitrogen seeping into the ground, into groundwater as nitrate, leading to algal blooms. Did you mean something different?
What EXACTLY are you looking for?? Water is H2O and it breaks down to hydrogen and oxygen.. always has, always will. It did in the 1800s, it does today, and it will in the year 3000! The natural process of breakdown of waste yields nitrogen! PERIOD! ...always has, always will! One of the processes of water treatment is nitrogen reduction, so, instead of it being removed by this process, with septic, it is not removed and can seep into well water sources and other drinking water bodies. Urine yields the most nitrogen in waste. Simple science.
I have sent a proposal to the Palm Bay Charter Review Board to authorized the City and County to enter an interlocal agreement for a 1% discretionary sales tax for infrastructure only. The IRL 1% tax will sunset December 2026 and has produced an average of $68M annually directly to the IRL. If PB negotiates an agreement with the County for even a 40 - 50% split, the County and other municipalities could split the remaining amount for their infrastructure, which is needed everywhere. Tourists will be contributing as well. No one will have a hardship by paying 1 cent more on taxable goods. We must start thinking "out of the box".
I had a new septic system put in 2 years ago. It is not the aerobic one required in four years because I could not afford to pay the extra $5,000 to get it. This septic still cost me $17,000. I don’t know what I’m going to do the four years. I’ll probably sell before then.
Looks like these State mandates can get a wee bit expensive. (At least the affected people allegedly live near a waterway, unlike most Palm Bay residents) Orlando Sentinel Dec 15, 2025
Facing big bill for waste
Replacing septic tanks near Wekiva could cost Seminole
homeowners thousands
{{{Articles.Byline.1}}}
Seminole commissioners were hit with a stunning dose of sticker shock this week after learning a state
requirement to convert most septic tanks near the Wekiva River and Gemini Springs to sewer systems could
cost the county and homeowners hundreds of millions of dollars.
For example, a homeowner with a septic tank near the Wekiva River could have to shell out at least $75,000 if
they had to pick up the entire cost of digging up their old septic tank and replacing it with a sewer connection,
according to a county document.
“I would say that a majority of our residents would not be able to afford to pay that, even if they went to the
bank and got a loan,” Commissioner Jay Zembower said. “None of us want to do that.”
Despite the costs, commissioners and county staff acknowledged that protecting the environmentally
delicate springs is critical. Old septic systems are major contributors to nitrogen and phosphorus polluting the
water bodies.
“I think we all agree that we all want to clean up the environment,” Zembower said. “We want to be kind to the
environment. We want to get the nutrients out of the water… But that comes with a cost.”
In Sweetwater Club — an upscale neighborhood developed in the mid-1980s just south of Wekiwa Springs
State Park — all 176 homes have septic tanks and are in the state-mandated conversion area.
“I would love to be connected to a sewer system. It’s something that should be done, especially because of the
environmental concerns,” Sweetwater resident Bahram Yusefzadeh said in his front yard Friday. “But I don’t
believe the average middle-class community could afford something like that. I don’t think you’re going to get
much support from most neighborhoods.”
Yusefzadeh added that such a project would involve tearing up his neighborhood’s streets and residential
yards. He recalled replacing his home’s septic tank about 15 years ago at a cost of more than $30,000 and
what an “expensive mess” it was.
Seminole commissioners blasted state legislators for enacting such a mandate without providing funding,
and leaving it up to local governments to figure out the costs.
“We can’t impose this on our citizens,” Commissioner Lee Constantine said. “It’s too big. It’s too large. So at
some point, the Legislature is going to have to bite the bullet and do what’s right. The state is going to have to
decide how to pay for it.”
Under the 2016 state law designed to protect Florida’s natural springs, the county has until 2038 to connect
septic systems on lots of up to an acre to sewer lines in designated areas within the Wekiwa Springs Basin or
Gemini Springs Basin. Or the county can require homeowners to upgrade their septic tanks to modern
systems that release fewer nutrients into the springs
Number 1 issue that's not getting any enough attention. I guess it will be important when it gets down to the last few months before the unfunded mandate kicks in.
The mandate wants to force me to connect to a utility even though my house is miles away from the Lagoon. Yet they are willing to entertain a daily industrial discharge directly into the Lagoon?
Florida Today Nov 28, 2025
Lagoon discharge permit sought
Blue Origin would treat industrial wastewater
Jim Waymer
Florida Today USA TODAY NETWORK – FLORIDA
Blue Origin is seeking a state environmental permit to discharge about 15,000 gallons daily of “industrial wastewater” used in rocket component testing, cleaning and cooling operations to an onsite pond that flows to the Indian River Lagoon.
What’s happening?
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is preparing a draft permit to Blue Origin, LLC, to let Blue Origin operate a 490,000gallon-per-day industrial wastewater treatment plant that would discharge 15,000 gallons of wastewater to a 402,981-square-foot onsite stormwater pond, then to the Indian River Lagoon.
Where would this happen?
Blue Origin’s manufacturing site is at 8082 Space Commerce Way, Merritt Island, just east of Pine Island Conservation Area.
Why would this happen?
Blue Origin plans to use highly filtered water to test and clean rocket parts. Instead of sending the water to a sewer plant, the company wants to discharge it to the lagoon after it is diluted in the onsite pond.
What water quality parameters apply in this permit?
Oil and grease, pH, nitrogen, and phosphorus apply. Industrial wastewater includes water from manufacturing, commercial operations, cooling systems, and cleanup of chemical- contaminated sites.
If wastewater comes from an industrial process rather than toilets or sinks, it’s called industrial wastewater, even if it’s mostly water with mild contaminants.
What will Blue Origin have to do if it gets the permit?
Among other things: conduct continuous monitoring and sampling and ensure discharges don’t harm wildlife, human health, or violate water quality standards; follow a stormwater pollution prevention plan
How and when can I see the permit application?
DEP has issued a draft permit and plans to approve it unless public comments lead to changes. Anyone can submit comments or request a public meeting within 30 days of the public notice.
Final permit issuance is expected by late Dec. 2025.
The application file and supporting data are available for public inspection during normal business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except legal holidays, at DEP’s central district office, 3319
Maguire Blvd, Suite 232, Orlando, Florida 32803-3767, at phone number (407) 897-4100.
DEP intends to issue the permit unless as a result of public comment appropriate changes are made.
How do I provide comments or request a public meeting?
Submit written comments or written request for a public meeting to Randall Cunningham, 3319 Maguire Blvd, Suite 232, Orlando, Florida 32803-3767. Those requests must contain the information below and be received in DEP’s central district office:
● The commenter’s name, address and telephone number; the applicant’s name and address; DEP’s permit file number ( FL0A00007-002-IW7A); and the county in which the project is proposed (Brevard);
● A statement of how and when notice
of DEP’s action or proposed action was received;
● A statement of the facts DEP should consider in making the final decision;
● A statement of which rules or statutes require reversal or modification of DEP’s action or proposed action; and if desired, a request that a public meeting be scheduled, including a statement of the nature of the issues proposed to be raised at the meeting
Unless the septic system is located in proximity to a waterway, we as Palm Bay residents should be pushing back on this unfunded mandate with our State representatives. They come to us for votes when their term is up, they should be confronted about this. (they have rolled back similar requirements before when pressured by voters)
Hmm maybe some of that Federal infrastructure monies Florida received could have been used.
The issue of nitrogen runoff (over fertilizing lawns) is different from septic system leakage. The effect may be similar, the causes and solutions are different.
Can you elaborate? The #1 cause of nitrogen runoff is ag, followed by septic. This isn't about a LEAKAGE, but the process of how a septic works, normally, which can result in nitrogen seeping into the ground, into groundwater as nitrate, leading to algal blooms. Did you mean something different?
How does nitrogen get in a septic system? Are you saying decomposing poop creates significant amounts of nitrogen?
There is no nitrogen in our laundry detergent.
I don't fertilize my lawn, the weeds don't need it.
I hope this article helps explain. From WA state, but still the same process. I don't fertilize my weeds (Florida's native grasses) either!! 😉
https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/Documents/4450/337-142-Nitrogen-Removal-from-OSS-FactSheet.pdf
Decade old document (obviously not using current standards) with broken source links. Color me skeptical.
What EXACTLY are you looking for?? Water is H2O and it breaks down to hydrogen and oxygen.. always has, always will. It did in the 1800s, it does today, and it will in the year 3000! The natural process of breakdown of waste yields nitrogen! PERIOD! ...always has, always will! One of the processes of water treatment is nitrogen reduction, so, instead of it being removed by this process, with septic, it is not removed and can seep into well water sources and other drinking water bodies. Urine yields the most nitrogen in waste. Simple science.
I have sent a proposal to the Palm Bay Charter Review Board to authorized the City and County to enter an interlocal agreement for a 1% discretionary sales tax for infrastructure only. The IRL 1% tax will sunset December 2026 and has produced an average of $68M annually directly to the IRL. If PB negotiates an agreement with the County for even a 40 - 50% split, the County and other municipalities could split the remaining amount for their infrastructure, which is needed everywhere. Tourists will be contributing as well. No one will have a hardship by paying 1 cent more on taxable goods. We must start thinking "out of the box".
I had a new septic system put in 2 years ago. It is not the aerobic one required in four years because I could not afford to pay the extra $5,000 to get it. This septic still cost me $17,000. I don’t know what I’m going to do the four years. I’ll probably sell before then.