Florida governor commits to close Piney Point site for good amid ongoing wastewater disaster

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced next steps April 13 in the state’s response to the ongoing issues at Piney Point.

Piney Point is a former phosphate mining facility near Tampa Bay that is owned by HRK Holdings. The site has been thrust into the spotlight in recent weeks as an on-site wastewater pond sprung a significant leak in late March. The pond, which was drained to successfully prevent a tidal wave of wastewater from flooding the area, is still causing major issues as millions of gallons of contaminated water have seeped into the ground and infiltrated local waterways.

According to the state, an estimated 237 million gallons of wastewater have been discharged into Tampa Bay in recent weeks.

Subsequently, DeSantis is directing the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to develop a long-term plan to close the site.

“The longstanding problems at Piney Point must end,” DeSantis says. “I am directing the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to develop a plan to close Piney Point to ensure this never happens again. I am redirecting $15.4 million for innovative technologies to pretreat water at the site.”

DEP’s team of engineers and scientists will develop a plan for site closure, which moves the state forward with a science-focused and thoughtful approach, the governor said.

“I want to thank the governor and legislature for their leadership and support in closing this site once and for all,” DEP Secretary Noah Valenstein says. “While we take this next critical step, our legal team will continue to fully investigate the incident here at Piney Point in order take any and all legal actions to ensure we hold HRK and any other actors fully accountable.”

Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson expressed the senate’s support to supplement these immediate actions with future funding appropriations, starting with an estimated $100 million in the coming fiscal year.