Manatee County Commissioners pass scaled-down agreement for disposal at Piney Point

BRADENTON — At Tuesday's meeting, Manatee County Commissioners voted 4-1 to approve an amended agreement with Chemical Injection Partners for services related to Piney Point, a former phosphate processing facility that suffered a toxic breach of its gypsum stacks in 2021.

Two weeks earlier, a vote to move forward with a long-term agreement with CIP failed in a 3-3 tie, with Commissioners George Kruse, Mike Rahn, and Amanda Ballard voting in support, while Commissioners Tal Siddique, Bob McCann, and Jason Bearden voted in opposition. District 1 remains unrepresented since the passing of Carol Felts.

Opponents of that plan argued that it would mean Manatee taxpayers would begin picking up the tab once the remaining $6.5 million set aside by the receivership is exhausted. Staff brought back a one-year extension of the current contract that would not require general fund money, allowing the county to seek additional state funding in the interim.

Staff also explained that the service charge was being adjusted as CIP begins transitioning from drawing water from the pond to removing it from the stacks, a more resource-intensive process.

Siddique said he was comfortable with the plan, given that it would not bind the county to general fund spending, while not creating a continued risk of an abandoned site. He said he hoped the county could rebuild relationships with the state and FDEP in the interim.

McCann remained insistent that Manatee County taxpayers should not be required to pay to remediate a problem the county does not own. He pointed out that the county has already paid over $23 million on Piney Point. McCann insisted that if CIP walked away from the site, the state would be required to take over.

McCann also asked that a letter from Bill Galvano, former President of the Florida Senate and partner at the politically connected law firm Grimes Galvano, which was not attached to the agenda, be entered into the record. Galvano represents CIP, and addressing board chair Siddique, he strongly urged the commissioners to pass the agenda item.

Siddique contended that the agreement entered into by a previous board, the state, and the receivership left the county with few options and joined Kruse, Rahn, and Ballard in voting in favor of the agreement, while McCann voted against it. Commissioner Bearden was absent. 

Watch video of the item below.