Brevard voters could get a chance to renew sales tax benefiting Indian River Lagoon
By Molly Duerig
November 18, 2025 at 4:20 PM EST
The Brevard County Commission voted to hold workshop meetings in January to hear from the public about whether to ask voters to renew a half-cent sales tax benefiting the Indian River Lagoon.
The meetings are planned for the evenings of Jan. 5 in Titusville and Jan. 12 in Palm Bay.
County Commission Chairman Thad Altman said he brought the ballot issue forward Tuesday, not to make a final decision, but to make sure staff has adequate time to prepare.
"If we were to wait to, for example, this spring, it would be too late. We wouldn't be able to provide the technical support and the information and the data necessary to make an educated decision."
A referendum in 2016 imposed the sales tax for 10 years and created the Save Our Indian River Lagoon program, funding hundreds of projects to remove and prevent pollution in the lagoon.
The Indian River Lagoon is one of 28 federally-designated Estuaries of National Significance. Four of those nationally significant estuaries are located in Florida; the IRL is the only one on the state’s east coast.
The National Estuary Program is a non-regulatory federal program, established in 1987 to support “the water quality and ecological integrity” of 28 designated estuaries, including the Indian River Lagoon. (1072x829, AR: 1.293124246079614)
Unless the SOIRL program’s half-cent sales tax gets renewed, next year will be the last year it’s collected.
In all, across the SOIRL program’s 10-year lifespan, the sales tax is projected to have contributed some $586 million for lagoon restoration projects, or an average of $58.6 million a year. Those projects range in size and scope but are all ultimately designed to help the lagoon, usually by either removing existing pollution from the water or trying to stop new pollutants from getting in.
RELATED: Muck problems: what scientists are learning about the Indian River Lagoon
Out of 412 projects planned by SOIRL to help the lagoon, 215 are either finished or in progress, according to the most recent progress report available. The program prioritizes projects that are expected to create “a recurring benefit” for the lagoon, according to SOIRL. It also makes grants available for individual homeowners, to help them upgrade septic systems and reduce wastewater pollution into the lagoon.
Ideas for projects to help the lagoon are evaluated by members of SOIRL’s citizen oversight committee, which meets monthly. The committee decides whether to recommend each project based on how much it’s expected to cost, plus the amount of pollution it will either remove or prevent from entering the lagoon. Once recommended by the committee, each project must then be approved by county commissioners.
Water in the Indian River Lagoon laps up against a rip-rap seawall on the shore of Ryckman Park in Melbourne Beach. (2000x1500, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
The lagoon has come a long way since its first catastrophic "super bloom” of 2011, when high nutrient concentrations triggered lots of harmful algae to grow and, ultimately, suffocate much of the estuary’s flora and fauna. Last year, there weren’t many harmful algae blooms to speak of, according to an annual lagoon health report from the nonprofit Marine Resources Council.
Still, the lagoon is struggling and needs more help. An agenda item for Tuesday’s commission discussion reads: “Blooms and fishkills still occur and diminish local quality of life. More pollution reduction is needed to restore health to the lagoon and protect the economic engine that supports local jobs as well as recruitment and retention of our stellar workforce.”
Joe Byrnes contributed to this report.
The meetings are planned for the evenings of Jan. 5 in Titusville and Jan. 12 in Palm Bay.
County Commission Chairman Thad Altman said he brought the ballot issue forward Tuesday, not to make a final decision, but to make sure staff has adequate time to prepare.
"If we were to wait to, for example, this spring, it would be too late. We wouldn't be able to provide the technical support and the information and the data necessary to make an educated decision."
A referendum in 2016 imposed the sales tax for 10 years and created the Save Our Indian River Lagoon program, funding hundreds of projects to remove and prevent pollution in the lagoon.
The Indian River Lagoon is one of 28 federally-designated Estuaries of National Significance. Four of those nationally significant estuaries are located in Florida; the IRL is the only one on the state’s east coast.
The National Estuary Program is a non-regulatory federal program, established in 1987 to support “the water quality and ecological integrity” of 28 designated estuaries, including the Indian River Lagoon. (1072x829, AR: 1.293124246079614)
Unless the SOIRL program’s half-cent sales tax gets renewed, next year will be the last year it’s collected.
In all, across the SOIRL program’s 10-year lifespan, the sales tax is projected to have contributed some $586 million for lagoon restoration projects, or an average of $58.6 million a year. Those projects range in size and scope but are all ultimately designed to help the lagoon, usually by either removing existing pollution from the water or trying to stop new pollutants from getting in.
RELATED: Muck problems: what scientists are learning about the Indian River Lagoon
Out of 412 projects planned by SOIRL to help the lagoon, 215 are either finished or in progress, according to the most recent progress report available. The program prioritizes projects that are expected to create “a recurring benefit” for the lagoon, according to SOIRL. It also makes grants available for individual homeowners, to help them upgrade septic systems and reduce wastewater pollution into the lagoon.
Ideas for projects to help the lagoon are evaluated by members of SOIRL’s citizen oversight committee, which meets monthly. The committee decides whether to recommend each project based on how much it’s expected to cost, plus the amount of pollution it will either remove or prevent from entering the lagoon. Once recommended by the committee, each project must then be approved by county commissioners.
Water in the Indian River Lagoon laps up against a rip-rap seawall on the shore of Ryckman Park in Melbourne Beach. (2000x1500, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
The lagoon has come a long way since its first catastrophic "super bloom” of 2011, when high nutrient concentrations triggered lots of harmful algae to grow and, ultimately, suffocate much of the estuary’s flora and fauna. Last year, there weren’t many harmful algae blooms to speak of, according to an annual lagoon health report from the nonprofit Marine Resources Council.
Still, the lagoon is struggling and needs more help. An agenda item for Tuesday’s commission discussion reads: “Blooms and fishkills still occur and diminish local quality of life. More pollution reduction is needed to restore health to the lagoon and protect the economic engine that supports local jobs as well as recruitment and retention of our stellar workforce.”
Joe Byrnes contributed to this report.