💧 The $1.6 Billion Question

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THE SKINNY

• 💧 The $1.6 Billion Question

• 🩺 The Future of Health

• 🏈 Game Day Ready

• 🤖 Robotaxi Arrives

Featured Story

One Water: Billions Well Spent or Money Down the Drain

Hillsborough County is making the largest water and wastewater investment in its history, and most of it is happening right here in our backyard

No matter where you live in Hillsborough County, you've seen the giant pipes lining the side of the road, driven through the construction, or sat impatiently in traffic, all thanks to the One Water Program. It's a massive undertaking with an equally massive price tag to prove it. The county's marketing team has done its best to convince us this is the future we've been waiting for. But many residents have responded with skepticism, frustration and, in some cases, downright anger. So we decided to get to the bottom of One Water. Grab a snack. This one's a bit long.

The One Water Program carries a total estimated price tag of $1.6 billion. Its centerpiece is a new wastewater treatment system in Lithia expected to cost roughly $1.2 billion once the treatment plant, massive pump station and more than 20 miles of pipeline are included. That is enough zeroes to make anyone ask a simple question. What exactly are we paying for, and will it be enough?

If you've watched another subdivision go up while traffic gets worse, wondered why construction never seems to end, or questioned whether our infrastructure is keeping up with growth, this project is part of the answer. Water and wastewater systems are easy to overlook until they reach capacity. Then growth slows, development gets delayed, or taxpayers end up paying billions to catch the system back up.

South-Central Hillsborough currently relies on three interconnected wastewater treatment plants in Falkenburg, Valrico and South County. Together, they are permitted to treat about 34 million gallons of wastewater per day. But that does not mean Southshore has 34 million gallons of unused capacity sitting around. Each plant serves different parts of the county, and moving wastewater between them requires the right network of pipes and pump stations. The South County plant, which directly serves much of Riverview, Apollo Beach, Ruskin, Wimauma and the surrounding area, has been the most immediate concern. Its permitted capacity was 10 million gallons per day.

A county engineering analysis published in 2019 projected the plant could reach capacity between 2025 and 2027, depending on growth and wastewater flows. Well... here we are. That explains one project already underway. The county is expanding the existing South County facility from 10 million to 13 million gallons per day. But that extra 3 million gallons is not the long-term solution. It is simply the bridge meant to keep the existing system ahead of demand while the county builds something much larger.

The new One Water Campus is being built on roughly 200 acres near the Southeast County Landfill in Lithia. Plans include an advanced wastewater treatment plant, a massive pump station on Balm Road, a 5-million-gallon emergency storage tank, and more than 20 miles of wastewater and reclaimed water pipelines. The Balm Road pump station will be capable of moving up to 56 million gallons of wastewater per day. The treatment plant itself is expected to open in phases with an eventual capacity of 30 million gallons per day. That is where the public information becomes a little muddy.

Some project documents describe an initial capacity of 18.5 million gallons per day. Others reference 24 million gallons per day by 2030 before expanding to 30 million. County officials have also simply referred to it as a 30-million-gallon-per-day plant. Those figures may represent different phases of the same project, but residents deserve a clear timeline showing what capacity exists on opening day, when future expansions occur and what those expansions will cost. The county says the system is designed to meet regional wastewater needs through at least 2050.

So, why did we wait so long? That may be the billion-dollar question. Hillsborough County did not suddenly discover South County was growing. County engineers identified the issue years ago. Their 2019 analysis projected the existing South County plant would approach capacity between 2025 and 2027 and concluded that shifting wastewater between existing plants would only buy time. The permanent replacement is not expected to begin operating until 2028. In the meantime, thousands of homes continued to be approved and built across Southshore.

County Commissioner Christine Miller acknowledged the issue during the groundbreaking, noting that development continued while the supporting infrastructure lagged behind. That is exactly what frustrates many residents. The complaint is not that Southshore does not need modern water and sewer infrastructure. We clearly do. The complaint is that infrastructure should have arrived before, or at least alongside, the explosive growth instead of racing to catch up afterward.

The expansion of the existing South County plant is clearly a temporary fix. The One Water Campus is different. It is a regional facility designed to serve South Hillsborough for decades, supported by larger pipes and pump stations that allow wastewater to move around the system far more efficiently. But no treatment plant makes growth disappear.

Hillsborough County is projected to add more than 530,000 residents by 2050, with South and East Hillsborough expected to absorb much of that growth. County officials say the new system accounts for those projections. That seems reasonable based on the planned capacity, but projections are only as good as the development decisions made after them.

If every gallon of new capacity becomes justification for another subdivision, the finish line simply keeps moving. One Water can catch the system up. It cannot prevent elected officials from overloading it again. And that might be our biggest fear. Officials seem to fast-track development and ignore the underlying support systems that growth requires.

Now let’s talk costs. This is much more than a treatment plant. The project includes enormous pumps, emergency storage, advanced treatment equipment, backup power, odor controls, electrical systems and more than 20 miles of large-diameter underground pipeline. Crews must acquire easements, work around existing utilities, cross roads and environmentally sensitive areas, maintain traffic and keep the existing wastewater system operating while connecting the new one.

Then there is inflation. Construction materials, labor, heavy equipment and financing costs have all climbed significantly since the county first began planning the project. Even so, $1.2 billion is a staggering amount of money, and residents deserve a simple public breakdown showing how much is being spent on the treatment plant, pump station, pipelines, engineering, land acquisition, contingencies and financing. Saying infrastructure is expensive is true. It is not the same as showing taxpayers the bill.

The One Water Program is widely described as a $1.6 billion investment. More recently, Hillsborough County also approved up to $650 million in financing for utility improvements. That naturally raises a question. Is the total cost now $1.6 billion, $1.85 billion, or is the $650 million simply paying for projects already included in the $1.6 billion figure? After reviewing county presentations, news reports, and publicly available information, we could not find a clear answer.

The county appears to describe the financing as supporting major portions of the One Water Program and related utility improvements. However, none of the publicly available information clearly explains how the $650 million fits into the overall cost or whether the widely cited $1.6 billion figure has been updated.

Maybe the answer exists somewhere in technical budget documents. Maybe the financing is entirely contained within the $1.6 billion estimate. Or maybe the total cost has grown beyond what many residents still believe the project will cost. The point is this. Residents should not have to piece together a billion-dollar public project from multiple presentations, financing approvals and news reports. If the answer is still $1.6 billion, show us why. If the answer is now higher, tell us that too. Either way, taxpayers deserve one clear number and a straightforward explanation of exactly what it includes.

There is a strong argument that this is exactly the kind of project public money should fund. Clean drinking water, reliable sewer service, environmental protection and enough capacity to prevent development moratoriums or system failures are not luxuries. The harder question is whether Hillsborough County is finally getting ahead of growth or simply paying an enormous bill to catch up with decisions already made.

One Water appears to be a real long-term investment, not another temporary patch. But history suggests building infrastructure is only half the battle. The harder part is resisting the temptation to immediately approve enough new development to consume every bit of the new capacity. The real test will not be whether the county builds One Water. It will be what county leaders do with that new capacity once it comes online. Will this finally put Southshore ahead of growth? Or will taxpayers be asked to spend another billion dollars ten years from now trying to catch up all over again?

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Back-to-School Reminder

Student Athletes: New Heart Screening Requirement Takes Effect

Summer is winding down, which means backpacks, school supplies, and fall sports are just around the corner. If you have a student getting ready to play high school sports this year, there's one new requirement you'll want to check off before the first practice.

Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, Florida's new Second Chance Act requires all first-time high school student-athletes to complete an electrocardiogram (ECG) before participating in FHSAA-sanctioned sports. The screening is designed to detect certain heart abnormalities that may not be found during a routine sports physical and could help identify students at risk for sudden cardiac arrest.

The requirement applies to:

• Incoming ninth-grade student-athletes.

• Students in grades 10-12 participating in an FHSAA sport for the first time.

• Certain transfer students who are new to FHSAA athletics.

For Hillsborough County families, the ECG screening is now part of the required athletic paperwork before a student can participate in practices, tryouts, or competitions. An ECG completed within the previous two years can satisfy the requirement if it meets the state's standards.

With school almost back in session, now is a good time to make sure your student's sports physical, ECG, and other athletic paperwork are taken care of. The last thing anyone wants is to miss the first day of practice because of paperwork that could have been completed ahead of time.

What sport is your student playing this year? 🏈⚽🏐🏃‍♀️🏀⚾

Things to do

What’s Washing Up on The Shore This Week

Wednesday’s What in the World

🚖 Not to Be Outdone: Tesla Launches Robotaxi Service in Tampa

Just last week, we told you that Waymo was bringing its driverless ride service to Tampa and asked the question many of you were already thinking: How will self-driving cars handle Tampa Bay traffic, construction zones, potholes and our seemingly endless orange barrels? Apparently Tesla was listening... because it has officially launched its own Robotaxi service in Tampa.

For now, the service is limited to parts of downtown Tampa and nearby neighborhoods, so don't expect to summon one to Apollo Beach, Riverview or Ruskin just yet. But it marks another major step in the race to bring fully autonomous ride-hailing to the Tampa Bay area. Unlike Waymo, which uses a combination of cameras, radar and lidar, Tesla's Robotaxi relies primarily on cameras and artificial intelligence to navigate city streets.

Of course, the question we asked last week still stands... How is a driverless car going to survive Southshore? Can it make a left turn onto U.S. 301 during rush hour? Will it know the difference between a construction barrel and the lane it's supposed to be driving in? And what happens when someone waves four cars through at a four-way stop instead of taking their turn?

If a Robotaxi can survive Big Bend Road at 5 p.m., dodge a surprise lane closure, avoid the potholes and somehow navigate all the construction without having an existential crisis, it deserves a five-star rating. Would you hop in a self-driving Tesla, or are you still sticking with a human behind the wheel? 🤖🚗

Southshore Spotlight

Military Family Support

Military Family Support has been helping veterans, active-duty service members, and their families since 1992. Based right here in Sun City Center, the nonprofit provides career grants, college scholarships, support for organizations serving military families, JROTC leadership awards, and funding for programs that assist veterans facing challenges like homelessness and PTSD. To date, the organization has awarded more than $1.5 million in scholarships while continuing to invest in those who have sacrificed for our country.

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 hanging 30 feet above your living room? We've got you. And the best part? They're all right here in our community. Click the link above to find your next Southshore professional because we know a guy...or gal. And now you do too.

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 40,000 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.