Lake Panasoffkee residents again confronted Sumter County commissioners Tuesday night to oppose a project to replace septic tanks with a centralized sewer system in their community.

Besides concerns about a cost estimated to be as high as $40,000 per home, they fear the sewers could bring an onslaught of development to their rural community.

Replacing septic tanks is viewed as a step toward cleaning up the weed-infested lake and working to restore its water quality.

County Administrator Bradley Arnold said the county has no further role in the project, which is under control of the Florida Government Utility Authority (FGUA), a government agency, working with the Lake Panasoffkee Water Association.

But Commissioner Oren Miller said the county should be involved because of resident concerns over the potential cost.

“If this happens, there is danger of people losing their homes,” he said. “I don’t think FGUA cares about these people one iota.”

Commissioner Jeffrey Bogue, who chaired the meeting in the absence of County Chairman Craig Estep, suggested commissioners discuss the issue at a workshop.

Residents may not need to remove their septic tanks at an additional cost of $5,000 to $10,000, said Commissioner Andrew Bilardello.

When a community adopted a centralized sewer system where Bilardello lived, he said homeowners were allowed to leave their septic tanks in place after connecting to the sewers.

The county used federal money from the America Rescue Plan Act to pay for a Lake Panasoffkee sewer project study. You can read the complete study at: https://www.fgua.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Lake-Pan-Water-Wastewater-Improvement-Analysis-Presentation.pdf

Arnold said the county has no plans to provide project funding, but the wastewater treatment plant would be built on land the county received from the state.

He said Lake Panasoffkee’s higher poverty level makes it more likely that grants can be found to help fund the project.

The county administrator said a centralized sewer system could bring development to Lake Panasoffkee.

He said a decision by Coleman not to install a sewer system shrunk its urban service area and ensures that it will remain a small city.

Community resident Bill Jenskins said he moved to the community 21 years ago because he likes to bass fish. He said he fears a centralized sewer system will spur development and harm the rural environment. 

“This is old Florida – a beautiful place,” he said. “I’m worried about change. I don’t think this is the way to go.”

Dorothy Bostic said he bought a mobile home with a new septic system after her husband died and she now lives on a limited income.

“What I have now is a little bit of emergency money and money for my cremation,” she said. “If I have to pay for this, you might as well throw me in the river.”

Lake Panasoffkee often is treated worse than other areas of the county, said Levi Norris.

“It seems like Lake Pan is a stepchild more than anything,” he said.

Debbie Arkus said residents may have difficulty selling their homes if they are saddled with large assessments for the sewer system.

Harry Taylor predicted that “unforeseen conditions” would drive up the system’s cost more than people realize.