As Florida faces water shortage, watchdog group urges state to use a more long-term planning process

To avoid a projected water shortage that state data indicates could start as soon as next year, Florida must adopt a more coordinated, comprehensive system for vetting, choosing and managing water projects, per a new Florida TaxWatch report.

The new report doubles down on the government watchdog group’s ongoing plea for the state to use a longer-term planning process for projects meant to improve water quality and supply. Right now, Florida’s way of approving such projects is largely “catch-as-can,” lacking consistency and accountability, according to Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro.

“Yeah, you get the project funded, but really, does it make a difference? Does it really have the intended impact?” Calabro said. “Can you hold the organization or the entity that gets the $5-$6 million accountable, for getting the job done on time, within budget?”

It’s difficult to impossible to answer such questions without having an objective, standardized plan of work to refer back to, Calabro said.

“You can't do that if you just go: ‘Hey, I got a good project here. Hey, I got a good project there. Hey, I've got a powerful legislator who's chairing this committee now, and may not be next year,’” Calabro said. “The easy way out is generally not the best way out.”

Instead, Florida leaders should put in the time and effort necessary to map out a long-term plan of work for water projects, similar to the Florida Department of Transportation’s Five-Year Work Program, Calabro said. He added work plans can be modified and he’s not looking for perfection, just a starting point for more accountability.

It’s also critically important that Florida’s water planning be based in science, Calabro said.

“[Water projects] need to be done in a way that prioritizes the funding, ensures that they're going to be accountable, [and] that they will be based on science or the best science available, so they produce the best value for Floridians in the communities they serve,” Calabro said.

Ultimately, that’s the goal, Calabro said: for Florida taxpayers to feel their hard-earned money has been thoughtfully allocated and spent. But the state’s current, inconsistent pattern of funding water projects doesn’t achieve that, he said.

“It's not a good standard of conservative governance and good fiscal stewardship,” Calabro said. “Because [at] the end of the day, not only are we trying to save money, we're also trying to save the economic vibrancy of communities.”

Earlier this year, along with the projected water shortage data, Florida’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research shared a cost estimate of $1.7 billion for what the state must spend on critical water projects through 2040. But that’s a conservative estimate, per Florida TaxWatch, which estimates the cost is closer to $2.5 billion.

Copyright 2024 Central Florida Public Media