Officials reiterate Piney Point’s urgency at Manatee legislative delegation meeting
Despite likely complications thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, local leaders shared their wish list items for the upcoming legislative session in Tallahassee.
The Manatee County legislative delegation, including state Rep. Tommy Gregory, state Rep. Will Robinson and state Sen. Jim Boyd, met Wednesday morning to learn which issues are most important for Bradenton-area organizations. That list included providing incentives for local manufacturing, funding affordable housing and protecting Manatee’s coast from sea level rise and beach erosion.
But speaking on behalf of the Board of County Commissioners, Commissioner Vanessa Baugh made it clear that the state’s assistance in clearing the gypsum stacks at Piney Point is the most pressing issue for Manatee County government.
Sharing the county’s list of legislative priorities, Baugh highlighted the board’s recent unanimous vote to highlight Piney Point as their No. 1 issue, calling it a “critical topic of environmental concern.”
HRK Holdings, LLC acquired the site in 2011 and is responsible for its maintenance. Speaking with the board in September, site manager Jeff Barath warned that the site is in danger of reaching capacity within two years. If it does, the former phosphate plant could spill millions of gallons of process water into Tampa Bay.
Process water is a chemical byproduct of phosphate mining that has to be specially treated before it can be drained.
In December, board members also voted to begin accepting up to 50,000 gallons of pre-treated water at the county’s wastewater treatment plant. The agreement has been called a “Band-Aid solution” that could help buy Piney Point more time to clear the ponds before they overflow.
“We recently allowed small quantities of water to be treated by the county’s wastewater system,” Baugh noted. “For the third consecutive year, we’re asking the state to assist us with efforts that are safe to dispose of this water.”
The delegation voted unanimously to name Piney Point their top priority, as well, assuring Baugh that they would tackle the issue head-on. Newly elected state Rep. Michele Rayner, D-St. Petersburg, who is mourning the death of a family member, could not attend Wednesday’s meeting.
Despite the vote, officials warned that budget shortfalls due to the pandemic could prevent a fully funded solution this year.
“We will do everything up from my side of the rotunda,” said Boyd. “I know it costs money, but we’re working on that.”
“(Piney Point) is a clear and present danger for this community. I’ve had several conversations with the Department of Environmental Protection and it’s an issue that’s not going away,” Robinson added, pointing out the complexity of the situation. “Believe me, we’re going to be doing what we can on this topic in this session.”
Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, has also sought assistance in Washington, urging the EPA to provide a helping hand.
“Clean water and protecting our environment are critical to our quality of life in Southwest Florida,” Buchanan wrote in an October letter to an EPA regional administrator. “Federal oversight is needed to ensure the safe management and disposal of the contaminated water and prevent an environmental disaster.”
