Florida Approves Plan to Help Billionaires Export Their Sewage
The News
Indian Creek Village, the island community that is home to Jeff Bezos and several other billionaires, has faced strong pushback in its quest to discharge its sewage through the neighboring town of Surfside. But Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has now signed legislation that will prevent Surfside from intervening.
Background: A $10 million dispute
Like other communities in South Florida, Indian Creek Village has been under pressure for decades to eliminate shallow septic systems that have been leaking waste into the delicate ecosystem of Biscayne Bay.
The village comprises only a few dozen properties on a private, man-made island where a vacant lot recently sold for $110 million. Mr. Bezos has properties on the island. Down the street is the retired N.F.L. superstar Tom Brady. A little farther is President Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, who now sits on Indian Creek's village council.
But when Indian Creek Village proposed to send its waste through the pipes of the neighboring town Surfside, officials there proposed that Indian Creek Village pay $10 million to help cover the historical cost of the system. Indian Creek Village balked and, The New York Times found, worked behind the scenes to persuade state officials to fix the problem.
The solution came in the form of wording inserted deep into the text of a bill dedicated to the Florida Department of Transportation. Under the rules, municipalities cannot prohibit or require a permit for certain sewer projects. The Indian Creek plan fits the definition.
Both houses of the state Legislature had approved the measure, and on Friday, the state's official legislative docket indicated that Mr. DeSantis had signed it. The governor's office and Mr. Kushner have not responded to requests for comment.
What Happens Next
Indian Creek Village's current plan is not to connect to Surfside's lines but to send a pipe under a Surfside street, traveling half a mile to connect to a line owned by the town of Bay Harbor Islands.
Stephen J. Helfman, Indian Creek's village attorney, said on Friday that preliminary work to test and prepare for the eventual connection would begin in the next month. Surfside's mayor, Charles Burkett, who had initially requested the $10 million, has said that the legislative backdoor was 'creative' but that he wants to be a good neighbor to Indian Creek Village.
'We look forward to working with Indian Creek to help them accomplish their goals with as little impact to our residents as possible,' Mr. Burkett said on Friday.
Quotable Quote
Paul Novack, a former Surfside mayor, said he found it troubling that the legislation passed with so much secrecy — no outreach from the Legislature or broader public discussion about it. He said Indian Creek Village should have negotiated with Surfside to pay an appropriate fee for the sewer connection, rather than going to the State Capitol for help.
'Florida's government is frequently manipulated by special interests,' Mr. Novack said. 'It's not surprising. This is just another day in Tallahassee.'
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