Dade City $1.75M in federal funding to relocate, upgrade wastewater treatment plant

DADE CITY – A long in-the-works effort to move Dade City’s wastewater treatment plant out of the Mickens-Harper neighborhood got some momentum Wednesday.

The city received $1.75 million for the project from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“I was super excited because this has been a goal for the commission and the city for so many years,” said City Manager Leslie Porter.

“The city recognized that was an environmental justice issue, putting that plant back there in the 1950s in a historic African-American neighborhood,” she said.

According to Porter, the city commission has talked about moving the plant since 2011, but funding has been an issue.

She said money was included for the project in last year’s budget, but that was later vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.