Please find below a copy of a letter that I sent to the Governor, Lt. Governor, Commissioner Brummer, Senator Baker, the Department of Health...among others. It has already been posted on the Orange County News Site (www.ocnis.com) by Commissioner Brummer. PLEASE take time to read it to see what is in store for homeowners in the Wekiva Study Area (WSA). Unsure if you are in this restrictive environmental zone? Just e-mail your address to the Florida Department of Health...they'll let you know if you are subject to this proposed rule...trust me, it's only the beginning. Thank you for this blog and your concern in posting this information.

COPY OF LETTER: 
As I am unable to attend, as are MANY residents of the WSA, the TRAP meeting on the 19th, I would like to once again voice my objection at the new rulemaking you are attempting to pass in regards to Aerobic Septic Systems. I have followed this process since 2004 and have attended a dozen or so meetings of the Wekiva Commission and TRAP. I can highly contradict your estimates that these 'new' systems cost on average $7700.00, as I have a quote from a well-known company that shows $9900.00 PLUS the cost to remove my current tank, PLUS the cost to install the dedicated 20amp circuit and line, PLUS the cost of permits, PLUS the yearly ONGOING operating costs of electricity and maintenance that are NOT being revealed to the residents who were 'drawn' into the WSA. I will be more than happy to ONCE again send copies of these estimates to your department. I feel I was dismissed by a member of your department a couple of years ago when I showed him these estimates. Your own department estimates that I received copies of support my cost claims. By the way, I live in a teeny 1200 sq/ft home with two bathrooms/bedrooms. I no doubt believe the McMansions of today would be faced with MUCH higher costs for one of these aerobic systems. Would you agree with that?

What I find even more interesting is the fact you have removed any reference to folks located in the three different zones or am I just missing that? Could you tell me why, considering those located in zones 2 & 3 are estimated by you to be causing 'less harm' to the aquifer? Even without the current economic climate, you are participating in diminishing the value of ALL homes on septic in the WSA. Thousands of homeowners don't even know they are in this 'protected' area and will be in for a HUGE surprise when trying to put their home on the market. As a potential home buyer, wouldn't you  choose a home that would not have to have this costly upgrade? Hence, making our homes even more undesirable. The DOH should be mandated to send TRUTHFUL letters to ALL homes (septic or not) in the WSA to let the owners know how these proposed rules would affect them. Homes will continue to sit on the market if this rulemaking goes on the books. Folks who are facing insurance problems (State Farm/Citizens), higher local taxes and the devaluing of their most precious asset can ill afford to be placed under additional financial burden in the hopes of 'saving' a river (spring) that developers are currently building on the shores of. If this had EVER been anything but a political special interest movement, the science would have long ago been 100% conclusive and us folks who have worked to stop this insanity would have been tossed by the wayside. 

Take off your government mandate hat and look at this from a citizens point of view. Just how many of you folks in that office have already, in the name of 'saving the environment', installed one of these aerobic systems at your home, without being FORCED to? If this is such a saving grace for the state then you should lead by example, don't you think? You want to 'save' the aquifer, then make EVERY home in the state with a septic system part of this rule and not guinea pigging our homes with these aerobic systems. I fear the uproar STATEWIDE would finally put out the flame that keeps this asinine mandate brewing. Don't 'blacklist' our homes because we just so happen to live 'near' a spring...I'm 20+ miles away and live at one of the highest points in the state. That's a WHOLE lot of filtering going on before my waste even comes close to the aquifer, let alone making it all the way to the spring. Furthermore, you certainly can't dismiss the actual onsite, real home studies of septic tanks that was done over a year ago and supports filtering/diluting of waste within very few feet of the drainfield, although you seem to be doing just that. Could I go on? Yes! It seems, though, that the department line will continue to be toted, as I'm sure that if anyone in your office disputed this rule with common sense and science would no longer be on the public dole (don't forget, you work for ME). Maybe once you're in the private sector you'll be more apt to see the light, just as a couple of your former chums have.

As I've said from the beginning of this whole 'secret' mess...my septic tank has NOTHING to do with building a road. This mandate was snuck into the Wekiva Parkway and Protection Act by special interest environmental groups who knew that this type of mandate would NEVER have flown if introduced by itself. Us, the public, initially saw this as a road building bill...never in a million years would have guessed it would so negatively affect our homes, our lives, our financial future and our property values. Seems like none of that was taken into consideration and millions of taxpayer dollars have been wasted trying to get a needless mandate on the books. Shame on you! 

(Please don't go into the fact all this was public knowledge because the meetings were announced, the act could be read, blah blah...I can make no excuses for others of the public who aren't involved. There's so much sludge in government that it's hard to tell which pile of it stinks more, thus directing the public to pay more attention to one issue over another. Whew...it can be tiring...and that's just what government counts on. FYI: I'm not tired yet.)

...rising above the sludge with the truth...
Monique Richison
"WSA Resident"