The City of Milton received the preliminary findings from the Florida Auditor General’s operational audit. No fraud, waste, abuse, or illegal activity were identified.
“The audit’s recommendations focus on enhancing internal policies and procedures, reaffirming that City staff are responsible stewards of public resources,” said city officials in a written statement. “We are committed to addressing these recommendations and have already begun reviewing and improving our internal processes.”
The city will provide a detailed response, offering context on the findings, outlining the progress made, and highlighting the remedial steps we have already taken.
“The City of Milton remains dedicated to exceeding the standards set by the State of Florida and to delivering high-quality services to our residents. We also extend our gratitude to the State Auditors for their thoroughness, professionalism, and efficiency in conducting the audit.”
BACKGROUND: State Sen. Doug Broxson requested the operational audit, which the State’s Joint Legislative Auditing Committee approved last December. The audit focused mainly on the city’s management of the North Santa Rosa Water Reclamation Project and its plans for a wastewater treatment plant.
A group of citizens opposed to the plant circulated a petition, claiming a lack of transparency in its planning, engineering and site placement had created distrust. They complained that the construction bids ($56 million to $68 million) were higher than the initial estimated cost of $28 million.
Last fall, Broxson said he had received over 2,200 signed petitions.
CLOCK TICKING: The North Santa Rosa Regional Water Reclamation Facility has been planned and debated for nearly a decade. The facility is to be built at the Santa Rosa Industrial Complex and will process up to 8 million gallons of sewage per day when it’s at full capacity. Read “Daily Outtakes: Milton finally gets wastewater permit.”
The City of Milton must end its discharge of treated effluent into the Blackwater River by Dec. 31, 2025.
City officials have said the new facility is essential to Milton, Berryhill, East Milton, and NAS Whiting Field and would accommodate the potential growth of Whiting Aviation Park and the I-10 corridor.
In an earlier press release, city officials said, “With the existing facility approaching its 2 million gallons-per-day capacity and located close to the river, this project is critical for addressing environmental concerns and supporting the projected 32% increase in population by 2040.”
Photo by Colourblind Kevin on Unsplash