Comment on Environmental groups, Florida regulators settle lawsuit over massive 2021 leak of polluted waters

ST. PETERSBURG — Environmental groups and Florida regulators have settled a lawsuit over the 2021 leak of millions of gallons of polluted water from a phosphate plant reservoir into Tampa Bay, which triggered major fish kills and the temporary evacuation of dozens of nearby residents. The settlement, filed Monday in federal court in Tampa, requires the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to issue a Clean Water Act permit that will ensure oversight and accountability for any future discharges from the Piney Point facility, said Ragan Whitlock, attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. The facility near the mouth of Tampa Bay in Manatee County operated for 20 years without such a permit.