Jacksonville scores $6 million in state budget for septic tank phaseout

In the legislative equivalent of a backlog victory, the city of Jacksonville will end up receiving the full $ 6 million it requested to get out of the septic tank when lawmakers vote on its budget this week.

Earlier versions of the budget only had $ 250,000 from the Senate and nothing from the House of Representatives, but in the back and forth of budget negotiations, lawmakers put the amount of $ 6 million as the state’s share of the work in the Beverly Hills neighborhood in the northwest from Jacksonville.

The line item would have to survive future scrutiny by Governor Ron DeSantis and his veto pen, but if it comes through unscathed, the state funding allocation would round out the funding package needed to get out of septic tanks in three boroughs promised to work in 2016.

The city council unanimously voted on March 23 to allocate $ 14.4 million in new city funding and $ 12.5 million from JEA to the canal construction projects, which cost more than original estimates. Mayor Lenny Curry asked lawmakers for support for the final $ 6 million funding.

The state money would be used to extend the JEA sewers to the Beverly Hills neighborhood, which extends to the Trout River. The other two boroughs from 2016 are Biltmore, which is currently being worked on, and Christobel. All three are senior parishes in northwest Jacksonville.

The legislature could vote on the budget on Friday.

More:Jacksonville challenged getting money from state lawmakers to get out of the septic tank

Mayor Lenny Curry: It’s time to tackle septic tank district sanitation provision once and for all

Curry has stated that the city needs to make progress in providing sewage services to septic tank-dependent neighborhoods, which can create environmental problems if they leak and pollute waterways. Even if the cost of such work is high, it is high and has often been postponed.

He said a proposal to double the city’s local gas tax to 12 cents would allow the city to use that money on transportation projects, freeing up $ 300 million to be used for other costly purposes like getting out of septic tanks could become.

The budget includes several hundred line items for expenses requested by members such as the Beverly Hills Project, supported by Rep. Wyman Duggan, R-Jacksonville, and Senator Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach.

Additional Northeast Florida projects also included in the budget include $ 500,000 for Atlantic Beach to continue the second phase of Aquatic Gardens / Hopkins Creek flood protection, and $ 250,000 for the downtown Fernandina rainwater quality project Beach and $ 600,000 for American Beach Fountains and Septic Pits in Nassau District.

In St. Johns County, $ 694,000 is being allocated to resilience improvement of St. Augustine Beach and flood control of the Ocean Walk subdivision, and $ 300,000 to St. Augustine West Augustine’s Septic-to-Sewer program Available.

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