Spirits were high in Sebastian City Council Chambers on the morning of Jan. 8 as the Indian River Lagoon Council Board of Directors met before a large audience to begin an exciting new chapter in its brief history. The meeting was the Council’s first since establishing its headquarters in the Historic Sebastian Elementary School, and its first since it received authority over the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program (IRLNEP).
According to the IRL Council’s website, “Congress established the National Estuary Program in 1987 to protect and restore the water quality and ecological integrity of estuaries of national significance.
“The Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program was established in 1990 and operated with the guidance of an advisory board through February 2015, when the advisory board approved the formation of a new regional council to sponsor and carry out the goals of the IRLNEP.”
The Indian River Lagoon Council is a special district under Florida law established Feb. 24, 2015, to operate the IRLNEP, which previously was administered by the St. Johns River Water Management District.
On the new board are representatives from Martin, St. Lucie, Brevard and Volusia counties – the Indian River County Commission refused to participate in the Council – along with representatives from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, St. Johns River Water Management District, South Florida Water Management District and Sebastian Mayor Richard Gillmor, representing the three-member coalition of Sebastian, Fellsmere and Vero Beach that stepped up to give our county a voice on the Council when the IR County Commission decided not to help select and manage local and regional projects to protect and restore the lagoon.
Council attorney Carolyn Ansay announced that the transition process has been completed: All requirements have been met, the transfer has been recognized by the EPA, and all assets and 13 active contracts have been transferred to the IRL Council.
Council Executive Director Dr. Duane De Freese praised everyone who has worked to complete the transition in under a year, a feat he called “a yeoman’s lift. People told me it would never happen. They said it was impossible, but the staff and the Council members did it. And in only 11 months! You’ve made a phenomenal step. Now I can go to Tallahassee.”
Board Chairman Ed Fielding agreed, and stated, “Now we’re going to DO things!”
De Freese proposed and the Board approved processes for assembling what he called the Council’s “Dream Team.” Volunteers selected by Board members and staff will serve on three action committees: The Science Technology and Engineering Management committee (STEM); the Citizens committee; and the Finance committee.
A subcommittee of the STEM committee will review and score 2016-2017 project proposals. De Freese hopes to have all committee seats filled by March 1. He told Board members that a great deal of interest is being shown from all sections of the environmental community, NASA, the National Park Service, the Health Department, academia, the general public, lagoon stakeholders such as fishermen and water sports enthusiasts and numerous others. Each committee member will be chosen strategically, to support the Council mission – to build partnerships to restore and protect the Indian River Lagoon through a scientifically sound, community-based management plan.
The Lagoon Council was created through an annual funding commitment of $500,000 each from the St. John’s River Water Management District and the South Florida Water Management District, plus $250,000 from FDEP, and $50,000 from each of the four counties and the coalition of Indian River County cities, acting in place of the AWOL County Commission. With additional funds from the EPA and the sale of Lagoon license plates, total revenues for 2015/2016 are $2,175,000.
Board discussion focused on strategic planning for 2016. The greatest area of concern, by far, was septic tanks. The board was in agreement that septic tanks in communities bordering the lagoon should, ultimately, be eliminated.
Volusia County Councilman Doug Daniels commented that, in Volusia County, “Septic tanks are our BIG issue. Even if they’re functioning properly, they are still spewing out pollution.” He said Florida should protect the lagoon from septic tank pollution by restricting septic tanks, in the same way it currently protects Florida’s springs, and mentioned a draft bill by Sen. David Simmons which would require residents with septic tanks to switch to sewer line hook-ups. SJRWMD Governing Board member Doug Bournique added, “Studies clearly show we’ve got to remove septic tanks.”
The Board acknowledged that the cost of such a switch is a heavy financial burden for homeowners, and discussed ways of helping residents shoulder that cost. Gillmor said that Vero Beach has “led the way,” by initiating a hybrid sewer system that is about half the cost of standard sewer hook-up, and Sebastian is considering doing the same. His city has also established a grant program funded at $100,000 a year to assist residents with their hook-ups.
The Board agreed on the need to get projects identified and moving forward, “balancing policy with action,” as Martin County Commissioner Ed Fielding put it, adding that the counties plus the three state agencies united in the Council will carry more weight before the Legislature than if they were to act alone.
De Freese, who spends a lot of his time in Tallahassee, advocating for the lagoon, said, “We’ve got the Legislature’s attention. They want us to succeed. Imagine, if all five counties brought cohesive projects before the next legislative session. We’ve got to seize that and take it down the field!”
District 54 Rep. Debbie Mayfield congratulated the Council on the progress it has made, and the Coalition, which assures a voice for Indian River County when it comes to choosing projects for funding. “It’s great how the counties have pulled together, and made great headway – prioritizing projects, finding funding to do them, advocating for them – that’s right on target.”
