media, they are talking PFAS, forever chemical; and they say additionally, the design
stormwater management features may require evaluating the potential for increased
contaminant loading into the lagoonal systems. She asked if the Board knows that under the
Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP), which is the Lagoon Plan for the
NEP, approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is over FDEP, that the
County is required in its Lagoon Plan to have pollution, which it does not, even though all of the
PFAS has been discharged at the Cape and Patrick is laden, and it binds to the organic
material; the County can negotiate with Space Florida to pay for under Ad Valorem tax, a
stormwater impact fee because the County has huge flooding; she has been to meetings with
the North Merritt Island residents; the incorporation study says $5 to $10 million a year; require
them to build their own industrial wastewater treatment plant; it is not on the people of Brevard
County to pay for Space Florida’s infrastructure; and he stood here in this room and said he
wanted to use other people’s money, the taxpayers money, and that is unacceptable.
Amanda Holland stated she has lived in this County for 22 years; when she originally moved
here, she was visiting her family also here in this area since probably the early 90s, she has
watched the Lagoon over that time period slowly decline; the County’s overall fishing industries
and everything has declined during that time period; starting in about 2014, 2015, they started
actively, herself included, going around and getting signature to increase their taxes here for
that half cent, which was completed in 2016; for almost the last 10 years, because it does end
in 2026, they have raised almost $600 million; over 400 projects have been initiated in this
County to save the Lagoon; there are animals dying left and right, and these pollutions are
going into their water every single day; and there is a reason why they have seen an increase
in the blooms of algae and overall animals dying, and it is because of the PFAS, because all of
the nitrogen and everything else being funneled into the Lagoon. She went on to say the
County needs to take back the area and fix this, put in restrictions against all of the people who
are using the Cape, not just Blue Origin, but also SpaceX and the rest of them; it is not just
one, it will be the rest; once the Board lets one person in, the whole entire gates open, and
there has been millions of dollars spent to fix this, 10 years almost, in order to make their
coastal system; 40 percent of the East Coast of Florida is the Lagoon; and it is where the
majority of their tourism has come for years, not to mention all of the people who enjoy the
Lagoon, enjoy going out on their boats, and they cannot even eat the fish out of their water
anymore because of this. She noted the PFAS will never disappear, this is a problem that they
have created that they need a fix, not the people; the County needs to stop them from any kind
of permits because again, they did not go to the proper overall channels, instead they bypassed
all of the people and went to the FDEP; it is up to the County and put its foot down, because
just like she said, there is an act in this area that prevents them from polluting in their waters;
and instead, the Board is turning a blind eye and allowing them to pollute, because if she
remembers properly, this has been going on for six month or longer now at this point. She
stated it needs to stop; they have seen larger algae blooms throughout the entire summer and
it will only get worse; there will be massive die-offs, and when that happens, there will be no
coming back for the overall Lagoon; they have dredged 1.3 million overall phosphates and
things out of the river to improve that; and in one fatal swoop, all of the hard work will be
erased, all of that money that has been poured into this County and into this Lagoon.
Elizabeth Michelman stated she stopped coming to meetings because she did not like the blank
looks she always gets, like if she was speaking a different language; she asked if people are
here today because he or she is looking for the Board to get on their side so they could have a
public meeting to discuss this further; she stated if the Board is not the ‘powers that be’, the
people needs to speak to those powers; the thing that is very interesting, on the County’s
Agenda today, on the calendar, there were three documents attached; she asked if the Board
is aware that one of those documents are from 2022; she mentioned a renewal is being talked
about; she asked if the Board knows when this was first approved, it was for 3,000 gallons; she
stated there is a big difference between 3,000 and 500,000; and she asked how this is a