Latest letter sent to state reps ! Please share now this affects 28000 homeowners
September 25, 2026
This is the latest letter sent to state reps!
The Honorable Ron DeSantis
Governor of Florida
400 S. Monroe Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399
The Honorable Erin Grall
Florida State Senator, District 29
The Honorable Robert A. “Robbie” Brackett
Florida State Representative, District 34
RE: Request to Fund HB 1379 and Establish Financial Assistance for Homeowners Facing Mandatory Septic Upgrades
Dear Governor DeSantis, Senator Grall, and Representative Brackett:
My name is Stephanie Garzon, and I am one of approximately 28,000 residents of Indian River County who are affected by the need to address septic and wastewater infrastructure in our community. I am writing to respectfully ask you to address the financial burden being placed on homeowners who are required to remain on private septic systems while facing costly nitrogen-reduction requirements.
I support protecting the Indian River Lagoon, our groundwater, and the health of our communities. I also believe Florida has a responsibility to make environmental compliance financially achievable for the homeowners who are required to comply.
HB 1379 established significant environmental and wastewater requirements affecting septic systems, including requirements for enhanced nutrient-reducing systems in certain circumstances and provisions addressing wastewater grant programs. The law also recognizes the importance of considering lower-cost alternatives when they can achieve the same required nutrient reduction.
My concern is simple:
If Florida requires homeowners to make expensive septic upgrades in order to meet these environmental requirements, where is the financial assistance to help homeowners pay for them?
A septic replacement or advanced nitrogen-reducing system can cost approximately $25,000 or more. For seniors, Social Security recipients, and other fixed-income homeowners, that can be an overwhelming financial burden.
My property is not included in a current septic-to-sewer grant project, and I have been informed that there is no sewer project planned for my neighborhood in the foreseeable future. If sewer does not become available, I may be required to upgrade my septic system by July 1, 2030.
I am therefore respectfully asking you to take action at the state level.
1. Fully fund the wastewater and septic assistance contemplated by HB 1379
I ask you to work together to ensure that the environmental requirements established by HB 1379 are accompanied by real, accessible funding for the homeowners who are required to comply.
If the existing funding authorized or contemplated under HB 1379 is insufficient, I ask that you pursue the necessary state appropriations, budget funding, or legislation to provide meaningful financial assistance.
Environmental requirements without adequate funding can leave individual homeowners carrying the entire financial burden of a statewide environmental policy.
That burden should not fall disproportionately on seniors and fixed-income residents.
2. Establish a statewide septic hardship assistance program
Please consider establishing a dedicated Florida program providing:
Hardship grants;
Forgivable loans;
Low-interest loans;
Deferred-payment assistance;
Cost-share or matching grants; and
Other financial assistance for qualifying homeowners.
Priority should be considered for seniors, Social Security recipients, disabled homeowners, low-income households, and other fixed-income residents experiencing documented financial hardship.
3. Provide assistance even when a homeowner does not meet a traditional low-income definition
A homeowner should not have to be officially classified as “low income” to experience a serious financial hardship.
A homeowner who is required to spend $25,000 or more on an environmental septic upgrade may face a substantial financial burden even if his or her income is slightly above the threshold for an existing assistance program.
I ask you to consider a second tier of assistance for these homeowners through cost-sharing, matching grants, deferred payment, or affordable financing.
4. Fund lower-cost ways to meet the environmental requirement
Florida should make sure homeowners are not automatically required to install the most expensive available technology when a properly designed and permitted alternative can meet the same required environmental performance.
HB 1379 included language recognizing that a higher-cost option should not be required when a lower-cost option achieves the same nutrient reduction.
I therefore ask the State to support evaluation and use of appropriate permitted technologies, including in-ground nitrogen-reducing biofilters (INRBs), nitrogen-reducing NSF 245-certified aerobic treatment units, performance-based treatment systems, and other qualifying technologies.
The goal should be:
Fund the required environmental performance—not the most expensive technology.
5. Fund the programs before homeowners reach the 2030 deadline
Homeowners need assistance now.
Waiting until 2029 or 2030 will not give families enough time to understand their obligations, compare approved systems, obtain engineering and contractor estimates, apply for assistance, and plan for the remaining cost.
State funding should be established and made available early enough for homeowners to make responsible financial decisions.
6. Learn from Brevard County
Brevard County has developed a homeowner septic-upgrade assistance program for properties where centralized sewer is not feasible and has also researched passive treatment technologies.
I ask Florida to examine Brevard's experience and determine whether a similar approach can be expanded to other communities affected by nutrient-reduction requirements.
7. Protect homeowners from paying twice
Many homeowners may be required to spend tens of thousands of dollars on septic upgrades today while sewer expansion remains a possibility in the future.
Before homeowners make that investment, they deserve clear information about what happens if public sewer later becomes available.
I ask the State to explore financial protections addressing future sewer connection costs, assessments, decommissioning expenses, and other costs so homeowners are not placed in a position where they could be required to make two major wastewater investments.
8. More than 400 residents have already signed our petition
This is not an issue affecting only one homeowner.
In just one week, more than 400 residents signed our petition asking for assistance for homeowners facing these costs.
These residents are not asking Florida to abandon environmental protection.
They are asking for a financially realistic way to comply with it.
Requested State Action
I respectfully ask Governor DeSantis, Senator Grall, and Representative Brackett to work together with the Florida Legislature and appropriate state agencies to:
Fully fund the wastewater and septic assistance associated with HB 1379;
Identify existing state and federal funding that can assist homeowners;
Pursue additional appropriations if current funding is insufficient;
Establish a dedicated septic hardship assistance program;
Provide special consideration for seniors and fixed-income homeowners;
Create cost-share assistance for homeowners who do not qualify as low income;
Support lower-cost, legally permitted nitrogen-reduction technologies;
Examine successful septic assistance programs in other Florida counties;
Coordinate state, federal, county, and nonprofit funding;
Make assistance available well before the July 1, 2030 deadline; and
Explore protections for homeowners who upgrade septic systems before sewer becomes available.
This is not a request to weaken HB 1379 or Florida's environmental protections.
It is a request to fund them fairly.
If Florida requires homeowners to make significant investments to protect the Indian River Lagoon and Florida's water resources, then Florida should also help ensure that seniors, Social Security recipients, and fixed-income homeowners are not financially devastated by those requirements.
I am one homeowner, but I am also one of approximately 28,000 Indian River County residents who deserve a financially realistic path forward.
We can protect Florida's environment and protect the people who live here.
I respectfully ask you to help provide the funding and financial assistance necessary to make that possible.
Thank you for taking the time to listen to the concerns of homeowners in Indian River County and for considering this request.
Respectfully,
Stephanie Garzon
Indian River County Resident
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STEPHANIE Garzon
stephaniegarzon12@gmail.com
954-696-2589
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