Manatee County commissioners to revisit Piney Point cleanup contract after deadlocked vote

PALMETTO, Fla. - Manatee County commissioners are expected to revisit a controversial Piney Point contract amendment Tuesday after a vote on the item failed last week in a 3-3 tie.

Piney Point contract fight

What we know:

The issue is whether the county should approve a new agreement to keep remediation work moving at the former phosphate plant, where cleanup costs have grown far beyond what some county leaders say they anticipated.

Commissioners recently learned the county is facing a $23.4 million shortfall tied to the prolonged cleanup effort. County officials say state reimbursements have not kept pace with the costs of keeping the work going.

Manatee County spending debate

What they're saying:

The debate has divided commissioners over whether Manatee County should continue dipping into its general fund to cover Piney Point expenses, or whether the state should take on more of the financial burden.

"I don’t see treating Piney Point or treating someone else’s environmental disaster as a core function of our government," Commission Chair Tal Siddique said during last week’s discussion. "Pulling $15.6 million from the general fund is not responsible. It’s not something we should be paying for, period."

But other commissioners warned that walking away from the project could create bigger risks.

"There are lots of things we do that we’re not technically responsible for," Commissioner George Kruse said. "But that doesn’t mean we’re not informally responsible for it if we cause irreparable damage to our drinking water or other things."

Phosphate plant crisis

The backstory:

The 676-acre industrial site has caused environmental disasters for decades. Polluted wastewater dumps in the 1970s led to fish kills. In the 1980s, a sulfuric acid leak spurred evacuations. More dumping and leaks in the 1990s prompted FDEP fines, and remediation efforts began in the early 2000s. According to the Florida Museum, the trouble continued.

In 2021, nearly two decades of warnings about the problems at Piney Point culminated in a crisis. Facing the possibility of catastrophic flooding, Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency. More than 300 homes were evacuated, and officials released more than 200 million gallons of toxic wastewater into Tampa Bay. 

Piney Point has been under cleanup ever since.

State leaders previously pledged $200 million toward remediation and closure efforts. But Manatee County officials are now questioning whether the county will receive the full amount needed to cover its outstanding reimbursement requests, and whether they'll be on the hook paying for the project moving forward.

Last week, commissioners unanimously agreed to ask the state for clarification about its funding commitment. 

Upcoming vote

What's next:

Manatee County commissioners are expected to take up the contract amendment again Tuesday.

If approved, the agreement would allow work at Piney Point to continue under a revised compensation structure. If rejected, county officials have warned the contractor could walk away, potentially disrupting critical remediation work at the site.

Unresolved cleanup funding

What we don't know:

It is still unclear how much additional money the state may provide, when Manatee County could receive reimbursement for outstanding costs, and whether commissioners who opposed the contract last week will change their votes after hearing from the state.

Manatee CountyPolitics