Beneath The Surface

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THE SKINNY

• Piney Point

• Insurance Tips to Win

• One Water South

• Looking For a Leviathan

Featured Story

Remember Piney Point?

Five years after one of Tampa Bay's biggest environmental disasters, the end may finally be in sight

If you've lived in Southshore for any length of time, chances are you remember Piney Point. Back in 2021, a leak at the former phosphate processing facility in Manatee County triggered emergency evacuations and forced state officials to release more than 200 million gallons of wastewater into Tampa Bay to prevent a catastrophic collapse of one of the site's containment ponds. The incident sparked widespread concerns about water quality, marine life, and the long-term environmental impact on the entire Tampa Bay region.

Now, according to a recent Bay News 9 interview, the man tasked with making sure it never happens again says the end may finally be in sight. Herb Donica, the court-appointed receiver overseeing the cleanup, told Bay News 9 that crews have removed more than 600 million gallons of water from the site using a deep injection well located thousands of feet below the aquifer. According to Donica, there is no longer any standing pond water remaining at Piney Point.

Crews are now focused on permanently capping and closing the remaining phosphogypsum stacks using layers of liners, soil, and vegetation designed to prevent future failures. If all goes according to plan, Piney Point could be fully closed by the end of 2026.

For Southshore residents, Piney Point has long served as a reminder of how interconnected our region really is. While the facility sits just south of the county line in Manatee County, the effects of the 2021 disaster were felt throughout Tampa Bay. Environmental groups have argued that the massive wastewater release contributed to severe red tide conditions and widespread fish kills that impacted communities around the bay.

The site itself has a troubled history stretching back decades. Built in the 1960s as a phosphate fertilizer plant, Piney Point experienced multiple spills, leaks, and environmental violations over the years before operations ceased. Ownership changes, bankruptcies, hurricanes, and repeated wastewater issues left taxpayers and regulators dealing with the consequences for years.

While the latest update is encouraging, it's also a reminder that environmental problems don't disappear overnight. The cleanup effort has taken years, cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and required extensive state oversight. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection continues to monitor closure activities as the site moves through its final stages.

For now, the goal is simple: make sure Piney Point becomes a chapter in Florida history rather than a recurring headline. Because if there's one thing Tampa Bay residents have learned over the years, it's that "temporary fixes" have a way of sticking around much longer than anyone expects.

The Most Expensive Insurance Policy Is The Wrong One

With Most Insurance

If you've owned a home in Florida for any length of time, you've probably had this experience. Your insurance renewal arrives, you open it, and immediately wonder why the premium is higher than last year.

Most homeowners assume the solution is finding the cheapest policy available. But the truth is a little more complicated. The most expensive insurance policy isn't necessarily the one with the highest premium. It's the one that doesn't properly protect you when you need it. That's why a policy review can be one of the smartest financial checkups you make all year.

Many homeowners simply renew the same policy year after year without ever having someone review their coverage, deductibles, exclusions, flood protection, liability limits, or whether they're even getting a competitive rate.

That's where Most Insurance can help. As an independent insurance agency, Most Insurance works with multiple carriers, allowing their team to compare options and help homeowners understand exactly what they're paying for. Maybe your current policy is the best fit. Maybe there's a carrier offering similar coverage at a better price. Maybe there are gaps in your protection that should be addressed before hurricane season arrives.

The point is you won't know until someone looks. Florida's insurance market changes constantly. New companies enter the market. Rates shift. Coverage options evolve. What made sense three years ago may not be the best fit today.

That's why the team at Most Insurance encourages homeowners to schedule a complimentary policy review. Because insurance isn't just about finding the cheapest premium. It's about making sure the policy protecting your home, family, and financial future is actually the right one. And when it comes to insurance, the most expensive mistake is finding out you had the wrong policy after you need it.

While We're On The Subject

One Water South project will use some of the same technology employed during the Piney Point cleanup

While we’re on the subject of Piney Point and injection wells, South Hillsborough is investing billions of dollars in wastewater infrastructure, and some of the same technology used during the Piney Point cleanup is also part of our region's long-term water strategy.

Earlier this year, Hillsborough County broke ground on the One Water South Wastewater Conveyance and Treatment Project. This massive initiative is designed to serve Apollo Beach, Riverview, Ruskin, Wimauma, Sun City Center, Brandon, and surrounding communities through at least 2050. The project includes a new advanced wastewater treatment plant, a major pump station, and more than 20 miles of wastewater and reclaimed water pipelines. The overall investment is expected to exceed $1 billion.

Before anyone starts picturing Piney Point 2.0, it's important to understand that these are very different situations. Piney Point involved industrial wastewater left behind by a former phosphate facility. One Water South is designed to handle the wastewater generated by homes, businesses, and future growth across South Hillsborough. The goal isn't simply disposal.

In fact, county officials say one of the primary objectives is to maximize reclaimed water use. Every gallon reused for irrigation is one less gallon that has to come from traditional drinking water sources. Still, both projects highlight something many Floridians don't realize: deep injection wells are already a significant part of Florida's water infrastructure.

Across the state, treated wastewater is routinely placed thousands of feet underground below protected drinking water aquifers. The practice is heavily regulated and monitored, though it remains controversial among some environmental groups who question the long-term impacts.

The challenge is: what do you do with the wastewater generated by tens of thousands of new residents moving into the area over the next several decades? It may not be the most glamorous infrastructure project in Southshore. Nobody puts wastewater treatment on a tourism brochure. But whether it's protecting Tampa Bay, supporting future growth, or preventing the next environmental headache before it starts, some of the most important projects in our community are happening far below the surface. And most of us never think about them until something goes wrong.

Things to do

What’s Washing Up on The Shore This Week

Your Weekly What in the World

We Still Have No Idea What's Living Down There

For all the incredible technology humans have invented, here's a fun reminder: We still don't know what's living in large parts of Earth's oceans.

A recent deep-sea expedition exploring previously uncharted areas of the Pacific Ocean identified 31 potential new species, including strange corals, sea stars, sponges, and other creatures that scientists had never documented before. And before you ask, yes, some of them look exactly like something that would try to eat the crew in a science fiction movie.

The discoveries were made thousands of feet below the surface in an environment so remote and difficult to reach that many of these areas had never been explored. Scientists say it highlights just how little we still know about the deep ocean, despite living on a planet that's more than 70% covered by water.

In fact, experts estimate that a significant portion of the ocean floor remains unmapped and unexplored. Think about that for a second. We've sent spacecraft beyond our solar system. We've landed robots on Mars. We've built computers that fit in our pockets. Yet there are still entire ecosystems on Earth filled with creatures nobody knew existed. It's a little humbling.

It's also a nice reminder that not every discovery requires a trip to another planet. Sometimes the next great discovery is hiding right here on Earth, thousands of feet below the waves, minding its own business and hoping we don't show up with a submarine. At least not yet.

Southshore Spotlight

Mary & Martha House

For more than 40 years, Mary & Martha House has helped women and families escape domestic violence and homelessness by providing shelter, support, and a path toward independence. Volunteers play a vital role in that mission, helping with everything from front desk support and retail operations to maintenance and community outreach. If you're looking for a way to make a difference right here in Southshore, this is a great place to start.

Nominate your local hero by emailing us at [email protected]

We Know a Guy…or Girl

Southshore Services

Need a painter? A plumber? Someone brave enough to tackle that lightbulb orbiting 30 feet above your living room? We’ve got you. And the best part, they’re all right here in our community.

Interested in joining the list? Shoot us an email to [email protected]

“Keep it Local!”

Foodies Only

Your Restaurant

New menu items, promos, specials, events- feature them here. This is the place to tell 30,000 readers in Southshore what you've got. Only 20 spots for the year. Claim yours today.

If you’ve got a restaurant, food truck, or even a lemonade stand, it could be featured here. Email us at [email protected]

Local Sports

Got news, events, or press releases that the Southshore needs to know about? Submit them here. (We’ll do our best to add press releases in our regular rotation.) If you’re looking to run an actual ad, go here instead.

Until next time,

Keep It Local.