County commissioners on Tuesday voted to put the Indian River Lagoon cleanup tax plan on the November ballot.
The taxes are designed to raise the $302.9 million that a new study says the county would need to pay for a plan to improve the condition of the waterway.
The Brevard County Commission voted 5 to 0 to put the plan on the ballot after five hours of public comment that included over 70 speakers.
"The residents of the lagoon are the issue. It's a big bathtub. We're the ones polluting it. We're the ones enjoying it. We should pay for it," said Ken Winsten in support of the plan.
"Polling indicates that 60 plus percent, over 60 percent of the people polled in the county, support these fundraising efforts. So I really don't have any doubt whatever plan we pick today is going to pass," said Commissioner Curt Smith.
The tax plan needs the approval of Brevard County voters in a Nov. 8 referendum.
Previous story
The Save Our Lagoon Project Plan proposes a series of measures over the next 10 years, including muck removal, stormwater projects, upgrades to wastewater treatment facilities, septic system removal and upgrades, fertilizer management, oyster reef projects and public education.
Here are the five options county commissioners will consider:
• A new countywide "Save Our Lagoon Special Taxing District" property tax of $1 per $1,000 of taxable property value for 10 years. That would generate $32 million a year, for a 10-year total of $320 million.
• A lagoon property tax of 50 cents per $1,000 of taxable property value for 20 years. That would generate $16 million a year for a 20-year total of $320 million.
• A lagoon property tax of 50 cents per $1,000 of taxable property value for 10 years. That would generate $16 million a year for a 10-year total of $160 million, and would need to be combined with $143 million from grants or other sources, such as the Florida Water and Land Conservation Initiative, commonly known as Amendment 1.
• A countywide half-cent-on-the-dollar sales tax for 10 years. That would generate about $34 million a year, for a 10-year total of $340 million. The sales tax option would require a public hearing on Aug. 23 before it can be approved for placement on the Nov. 8 ballot.
• Other combinations of property taxes, time frames, uses of sales tax and matching funds.
It also would require agreements with Brevard's cities and towns for the money raised by the tax to go to the county, instead of being split with the municipalities. The agreements would have to include cities and towns representing more than half of Brevard's municipal population, and would include setting up a special citizens' advisory board to review project progress.
The Save Our Lagoon Project Plan estimated a $2.01 billion positive economic impact from restoration of the lagoon and $4.29 billion in damage if the lagoon is not brought back to health during the next decade.
"If we improve the health of the lagoon, we're looking at a $2 billion improvement in our economy. If we do nothing and we allow the lagoon to continue down this downward spiral of crisis after crisis, then we're looking at a $4 billion cost to our community," said Virginia Barker, director of Brevard County's Natural Resources Management Department.
The report focused on three areas of economic impact: tourism and recreation, property values and commercial fishing.
In recent years, the lagoon has experienced algae blooms, brown tide, fish kills and unusual death rates for dolphins, manatees and pelicans.
The taxes are designed to raise the $302.9 million that a new study says the county would need to pay for a plan to improve the condition of the waterway.
The Brevard County Commission voted 5 to 0 to put the plan on the ballot after five hours of public comment that included over 70 speakers.
The tax plan needs the approval of Brevard County voters in a Nov. 8 referendum.