Following a previous Board meeting where the Port Authority requested funds for an artificial reef system to repair oil spill damage on the Gulf coast, the Board of County Commissioners held a meeting on March 28 in order to discuss the potential disbursement of those funds.
Totaling $3.8 billion, there are 5 potential options for funding spread across the state and counties- Hernando County will only have access to two: the Direct County Allocation, which depends on a county’s Multi-Year Plan; and the Spill Impact Allocation which relies on the Gulf Consortium. In either one of these options, there is a limit of 25% imposed on infrastructure.
In order to be eligible for the Direct Count Allocation (DCA)funds, each county needs to map out their respective multi-year plan- Hernando County was the first to have their plan ready and it has even provided a source of inspiration for other counties. With the DCA, Hernando County would have access to around $815,000 even though the U.S. Treasury will be administering the funds.
For Hernando County to receive funds from the Spill Impact Allocation, the projects that are planned have to lie within the State Expenditure Plan and would give Hernando access to $12.7 million over the course of fifteen annual payments.
The projects outlined at the Board Meeting were grouped into 3 categories, or themes: Habitat Enhancement, Waterway/Gulf Access, and Water Quality. This was done in order to better organize all the projects being proposed at the meeting. These three categories also allow the county to more manageably request funds and even let them estimate how much it would cost to get the projects listed to 30% completion in order to progress further into completion.
The theme of Habitat Enhancement would include projects that involve repairing the reef systems just off our coast and would have Hernando County working with Citrus and Pasco Counties as well. The systems would require differing concrete structures depending on the need of the area- serving either tourism, habitat repair or oyster farming. Monitoring is required for this project and planning has started for mapping, economic value, and species targeting with an estimated cost of $3.6 million.
Waterway/Gulf Access would include projects that would repair and improve local docks, piers, and expand on parking in the area. This category would also include work on repairing the damage done to the coastline and the shoreline of various small islands that have been eroded away over time. Channel improvements would help with accessing Pine Island and it was even suggested that some of the funds help establish some paddling trails. The Waterway/Gulf Access projects were estimated to cost $4 million.
The last theme of Water Quality mainly focused on the county’s switch from septic to sewer in an attempt to fix and prevent further damage to aquifers in the area and was estimated at $5.1 million. Backed by the Chairman, Commissioner Champion voiced concern regarding the switch from septic to sewer on the basis that Hernando County should favor something that would offer more ‘bang for [their] buck.’
After Commissioner Nicholson made the motion to approve the plans laid out before them, it was seconded and passed unanimously with follow-up meetings to be scheduled in the future.