Longwood authorizes outside counsel, testing to pursue PFAS claims

The Longwood City Commission on Jan. 19 unanimously authorized the city manager to execute retainer agreements with several outside law firms to pursue potential claims and settlements related to PFAS, while the firms will provide testing for the city.

City Attorney (role) told the commission the firms have approached municipalities nationwide and are already securing settlements for local governments. “This firm is already committing to provide free testing for the city to see what level of [PFAS] we may have and, be able to access essentially a pot of money,” the attorney said, explaining the retainer would position Longwood to both test and seek funds to upgrade wastewater infrastructure.

Commissioner Morgan moved to read and adopt the resolution, noting the issue has emerged at statewide municipal gatherings. Commissioner McMillan said he learned about similar litigation at a League of Cities presentation and supported moving forward. The motion carried on a 5–0 roll call.

The resolution authorizes the city manager to enter retainer agreements with named firms to pursue claims and to evaluate whether testing identifies PFAS-related liabilities or eligible settlement funds. City staff said the testing would be provided by the firms as part of the engagement; no dollar amounts for city liabilities or expected recoveries were specified at the meeting.

Next steps include finalizing the retainer paperwork and coordinating testing schedules with the firms; the commission did not set an implementation deadline at the meeting.