In the Whitted neighborhood near Narcoossee in St. Cloud, families say they have been living with questionable water for generations. Many rely on private wells they no longer trust, hauling home cases of bottled water for drinking and sometimes rolling the dice on tap water for cooking while they wait for a long-promised hookup to the city system. Neighbors and advocates point to a long-closed dump on the community’s edge and say the fix has stalled even after money was set aside.
Funding was pledged, but work has not started
A funding request filed with the Florida Legislature outlines a roughly $2.3 million project that would extend the City of St. Cloud’s potable water service to about 52 residential lots, pairing a $1.45 million state fixed-capital outlay with approximately $850,000 in federal matching funds, according to Florida Senate records. Outreach from Congressman Darren Soto describes the money as intended to cover design, permitting, and construction to move the neighborhood off private wells and onto the city’s water system.
What the tests found
State environmental work and a county health review identified elevated levels of arsenic and PFOS, a type of PFAS often called a “forever chemical,” in soil and in multiple private wells near an old landfill, creating potential health risks if the water is used for drinking, according to reporting that reviewed the agencies’ assessments. Central Florida Public Media reported that a Florida Department of Health evaluation warned that drinking the water, combined with exposure while showering, could increase health risks for residents.
Neighbors say the wait is ongoing
Residents told local reporters they are still spending money on bottled water for drinking and sometimes using tap water for cooking because they cannot afford other options. “Nothing’s been done out here. Nothing,” longtime resident Jessica Paul told WFTV. Neighbors said they have formally asked the county to provide water filters as a stopgap while they wait for a main line to be extended.
County: design exists, approvals are next
Osceola County officials say design work for the connection has been completed, but that the project still needs additional funding and federal approvals before construction can begin. In a statement to WFTV, the county said, “Unfortunately, some of these mechanisms are outside of the County’s control, though we are working as efficiently as possible to obtain all approvals,” and noted that Commissioner Ricky Booth has been engaged with the neighborhood.
Timeline on paper versus reality
The local funding request included a projected schedule that listed a tentative construction start date of July 1, 2024, and an estimated completion date of December 31, 2025. Those milestones have not been met, according to reporting and county comments. The gap between the dates on the paperwork and the daily reality in Whitted underscores the multi-step approvals and grant-seeking that often slow small utility hookups, Florida Senate records and local coverage show.
For residents, the questions are straightforward and immediate: whether the county will offer interim filters, and when the bulldozers will finally roll in to tie homes into St. Cloud’s system. Activists who pushed for the funding say they plan to keep pressing county and federal officials until the lines are in the ground and clean water is running from kitchen taps again. Central Florida Public Media and other local reporting have followed the community’s organizing and the environmental reviews that led to the project’s funding.
