November 3, 2026 General Election

Dear Mayor Kolar, Vice Mayor Bradvarevic, Town Council Members, and Town Administration, As a resident, property owner, and voter in Grant-Valkaria, I am writing to express my profound disappointment in the Town Council’s passive handling of the devastating financial crisis hitting our community due to the state’s July 1, 2030, septic mandate (F.S. 373.469). Grant-Valkaria was incorporated specifically to preserve our rural lifestyle, local autonomy, and unique community character. Yet, when the state passed HB 1379—singling out our corridor with retroactive, financially ruinous mandates while sparing other watersheds across Florida—our town leadership failed to fight back. Instead of standing loud and clear as a buffer for your constituents, the town stayed quiet, allowing Brevard County, the Florida League of Cities (FLC), and state lawmakers to treat our residents as a political relief valve. All too often, this council is quick to sign local resolutions "in support of" county and state initiatives. This is a time when the council should have taken a stand, pushed back against the state's severe overreach, and signed a formal resolution in fierce opposition. Forcing Grant-Valkaria families to pay $15,000 to $40,000 out of pocket to upgrade to ENR-OSTDS systems or connect to non-existent sewer lines is an unconscionable, unfunded hardship. Worse, forcing these aerobic systems on our residents saddles them with ongoing, mandatory annual inspection contracts and county fees just to keep a pump running on their own private land. Other communities, like Indian River County, have already faced packed chambers and are actively organizing to demand extensions, full state subsidies, or an outright rollback of this retroactive overreach. Grant-Valkaria should be leading that charge, not quietly enforcing an unjust state directive. I demand that the Town Council place this issue on the agenda for the very next meeting. We do not want to hear about how you are managing the compliance; we want to see you pass a formal Resolution of Opposition demanding the Florida Legislature repeal the retroactive 2030 deadline. It is time to make the town's voice heard louder. Protect the people who elected you. We will remember who responds and who does not. Who takes action and who just says, "it's just one of those things the state forces on us." Sincerely, [Your Name] [Your Grant-Valkaria Address]

Dear Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Atkinson, As a resident and voter in your district, I am writing to demand immediate local government action against the severe financial threat posed by the state’s July 1, 2030, septic-to-sewer and upgrade mandate under Florida Statute 373.469. While our local infrastructure master plans scramble to account for this half-billion-dollar state rule, everyday homeowners are being left to hold the bag. Forcing individual citizens to pay between $15,000 and $40,000 out-of-pocket to replace perfectly functional, working septic systems is a historic, unprecedented regulatory overreach. It represents a devastating, unfunded mandate on fixed-income families and working-class residents. The asymmetry and hypocrisy built into this law are indefensible. Neighboring watersheds across Florida face identical nutrient and algae impairments. Yet, under HB 1379, homeowners in those districts face no retroactive deadlines and are completely spared from these mandatory retrofits if their systems are working. Our local governments, along with the Florida Association of Counties (FAC) and the Florida League of Cities (FLC), have failed to protect us. By staying quiet in exchange for state infrastructure grant pools, these organizations allowed our communities to be singled out as a political relief valve for the state. Now, local commissions are caught flat-footed as public fury mounts at local workshops. As my local representative, you must protect your constituents from this state-enforced financial ruin. I urge the Commission to pass an immediate resolution formally demanding that the Florida Legislature roll back the 2030 deadline, establish total state-funded subsidies, or eliminate retroactive residential mandates entirely. We expect you to fight for us, not quietly enforce an unjust state directive. Sincerely, [Your Name] [Your Address/Property Location]