Tallahassee, Fla. – Florida TaxWatch has released a commentary titled "Florida’s Water Supply: Could Florida Experience a Significant Water Supply Shortage by 2025?" According to a June 2024 report from the Office of Economic and Demographic Research (EDR), Florida may face a water supply shortage as early as next year, with increasing severity projected through 2040.
Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro commented, “While Florida TaxWatch commends the Legislature for their recent efforts to create a dedicated funding source for water projects, Florida will not be able to sustain the continued level of growth it has seen over the recent years without dramatically improving how it selects and funds water projects. We must implement a Five-Year Water Project Work Program, similar to the Florida Department of Transportation Five-Year Work Program to meet these growing demands.”
The EDR estimates that an investment of $1.7 billion in critical water projects is required through 2040 to avoid significant shortages. With less than 40 percent of these projects having committed funding, additional resources will need to come from local, regional, or federal sources. This was also highlighted in Florida TaxWatch’s 2023 report recommending the development and funding of a strategic work program for water infrastructure.
To access the full commentary and learn more about this issue, please visit www.floridataxwatch.org.
About Florida TaxWatch
Florida TaxWatch is an independent, nonpartisan nonprofit government watchdog and taxpayer research institute that has served as the "eyes and ears" of Florida taxpayers for over 45 years. It aims to improve government productivity and accountability through research on fiscal policies' impact on taxpayers and businesses. The organization relies on voluntary donations and private grants for support.
For further information, please visit www.floridataxwatch.org.