Editor's Note: This article is part of a series exploring county and state ballot measures. Voters wishing to research their ballots for the General Election can find more information in the 2026 General Election Voter Guide, created in partnership with other local media in the News Collaborative of Central Florida.
This Election Day, Brevard County voters will decide whether or not to renew, for another 10 years, a half-cent sales tax that funds projects to help the Indian River Lagoon.
On average, the sales tax raises nearly $59 million each year to help the lagoon. It funds projects designed to reduce how much pollution gets into the sensitive estuary, remove existing pollution and restore the system to better health. A citizen oversight committee reviews project proposals, recommends which projects should advance and monitors the program’s progress.
The measure is on the Brevard County ballot under the heading “Renewal of the Save Our Indian River Lagoon Half-Cent Sales Tax.” Voters will select “Yes” or “No.”
The background
Voters initially approved the Save Our Indian River Lagoon or SOIRL program for 10 years back in 2016, after harmful algal blooms killed off massive amounts of seagrass in the lagoon system. It was the most intense algal bloom ever documented there during winter/spring months, ultimately leading to one of the worst-ever fish kills.
Seagrass is a key indicator of the lagoon system’s health. Manatees, fish and other wildlife there rely on it for food and habitat. Between December 2020 and April 2022, a record 1,255 manatees died following another historic loss of seagrass in the lagoon.
Today, manatees and the lagoon are doing better. Seagrass is rebounding across the lagoon system, according to surveys conducted by the St. Johns River Water Management District.
RELATED: Water regulators say more seagrass is growing in the Indian River Lagoon
SOIRL supporters say the sales tax has a lot to do with the lagoon’s progress and must be renewed in order to keep it moving in the right direction. Critics of the tax have questioned whether SOIRL revenues can sufficiently offset damage caused to the lagoon by ongoing wastewater spills, some of which are permitted.
RELATED: Brevard to ask state for hearing on Blue Origin’s lagoon discharge request
The IRL still faces many challenges. Chief among them: nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. Wastewater spills are one source of that pollution, along with leaky septic tanks and legacy muck pits built up over time, from discharges of sewage into the lagoon that were once far more routine.
Another big concern for the lagoon is stormwater — not just because of the pollution stormwater can carry with it into the IRL, but also because too much freshwater can damage the delicate estuary by throwing its salinity levels out of balance.
SOIRL’s citizen oversight committee hopes to tackle that problem with a new program Brevard county commissioners just approved to incentivize the use of green stormwater infrastructure, or GSI. That’s a term used to describe nature-based solutions for managing stormwater, including by reducing runoff volumes — and, potentially, flooding risk. Rain barrels, vegetation buffers, floating wetlands, aquatic plants and rain gardens are all examples of GSI practices.
SOIRL’s newly-approved GSI program will allow private property owners within the IRL watershed — including homeowners, businesses, nonprofits, churches and homeowners’ associations — to apply for grant funds to help pay for GSI practices.
So far, the tax has funded 140 projects now considered complete, out of a total 403 currently outlined by the SOIRL program plan. An additional 92 projects are underway, according to the program dashboard.
From 2016 through 2026, county estimates show the lagoon sales tax will have ultimately raised more than $580 million. If renewed for another 10 years, it would raise another estimated $800 million. If not, already-planned SOIRL projects would continue until their funding runs out, but no new revenues would be collected to fund additional projects.
