FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – After a town hall meeting Thursday night, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said the city aims to complete th $65 million sewer main collection line project in 18 months.
According to Chaz Adams, a city spokesman, the entire sewer main collection line runs from Coral Ridge Country Club to the waste water treatment plant at Port Everglades.
“All of the sewer projects contained in the action plan or consent order with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection -- including pipe replacements, pump stations, projects to prevent inflow and infiltration, etc. -- will be completed prior to the 2026 deadline,” Adams wrote in an e-mail.
Trantalis also said that when he was elected in 2018, commissioners were “burdened with a management team that was in total denial” about the state of the city’s crumbling sewer pipes and they had “abandoned” plans to replace the 54-inch sewer pipe that broke in December in the Rio Vista neighborhood.
“We also are committed not to repeat past mistakes and defer vital maintenance,” Trantalis said.
Trantalis said the city’s previous administration allocated $120 million -- meant to be used for utility upgrades -- to balance the operating budget. He and City Manager Chris Lagerbloom said they are putting a stop to the practice.