Perhaps now there is reason for just a touch of optimism.
But first the latest news: FDEP, Florida’s environmental regulators, have ordered the Village to fix Islamorada’s wastewater pipeline to Key Largo and pay $11,320 in fines for the repeated sewage spills that violated state clean-water rules. There have been six overflows from May 2021 to March 2025 with a total of 430,000 gal of raw sewage leaking from pipe ruptures.
On 12/23/23, FDEP authorized the Village plan to remedy the problem by replacing the pump facility on Gardenia St. But nothing has been done since then - almost two years and no action. And so the letter, dated October 15, 2025, from FDEP asks for the Village “Consent” to proceed with the changes the Village requested, with deadlines and stated penalties for pipeline failures - up to $15,000 per day.
Click here for the Consent Order draft to the Village from the Department of Environmental Protection detailing the issues, deadlines and possible fines they are asking Islamorada to agree to.
The Village has allocated $4.5 million in their current budget for the fix. It is unknown whether that will be the actual cost.
Since 2021, the Village engineers and Key Largo engineers have disagreed on the best approach, delaying work and resulting in more ruptures. Now Key Largo has agreed to accept the Village solution and will no longer object. Islamorada can now move forward. Whether Key Largo engineers had a better solution is still possible, but a stalemate resulting in doing nothing is not an option.
Since the first leak in 2021, Islamorada has had 4 Village Managers and 4 Interim Managers. Finally current Village Manager, Ron Saunders, is treating wastewater problems as a very high priority concern. And Saunders has brought in Peter Rosasco to help straighten out financial issues and EDU inconsistencies with our Wastewater Fund.
Best news: Saunders is being transparent about Village concerns and the impact on taxpayers. He provided the details of the FDEP demands in a Village newsletter last Friday. He acknowledges the wastewater concerns and is determined to clean things up.
