FLORIDA TODAY: Yes on half-cent 'lagoon tax'

The Indian River Lagoon, the centerpiece of Brevard County’s environment and recreation, is a mess: too much muck, too much algae, dead fish, foul-smelling water.

Most of us agree on that. But are you willing to pay to clean it up?

That’s the question behind the proposed .5-cents-per-dollar sales tax increase on the ballot in Brevard.

We recommend a “yes” vote for reasons we’ll explain in a moment.

If passed, the increase would fund a 10-year, $302.8-million "Save Our Lagoon" cleanup plan and create an oversight board. The plan includes:

• Dredging millions of cubic yards of muck.
• Capturing and rerouting stormwater away from the estuary.
• Removing 2,300 septic tanks that seep pollution into tributaries.
• Continued public education on the times and ways to fertilize yards.

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It is large-scale, expensive work that must be done to get results. It won't happen for free.

We wish there were an easier way to pay for it. But the alternatives are politically and fiscally unrealistic -- and would worsen quality of life here in other ways.

Although the Florida Legislature has earmarked millions of dollars for muck-dredging projects in the past two years, earmarks are not a plan. They could halt next year under different leadership. And so far, lawmakers have been unwilling to fulfill voters’ mandate on Amendment 1 by dedicating more money for new land and water-conservation projects on the Space Coast.

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Brevard County must step up if it wants to see results in the Indian and Banana rivers.

And it’s foolish to think county commissioners can wring another $30 million a year from current taxes for new lagoon projects. Not after they spent the past year combing their budget for savings to repave miles of crumbling roads – and mostly failed to find them.

At our candidate forums, the most commonly mentioned alternatives to the lagoon tax included saving money by closing county libraries and parks and halting support for Meals on Wheels and a nonprofit that keeps at-risk youth from becoming jail inmates.

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Those steps might save enough to fund a fraction of the 10-year lagoon cleanup plan. They also would make life in Brevard uglier, hungrier, less civilized and a less-rewarding place to live and do business.

For real results, vote yes on the .5-cent-per-dollar sales tax for the lagoon.