Commission presses staff to accelerate harbor/beach monitoring; Stantec presents phased plan

Public advocates and business operators pressed the commission to restore steady harbor monitoring after an autonomous station was removed earlier. Stantec reviewed contract tasks, including resuming harbor monitoring (task 0), data review (task 1) and design of comprehensive monitoring programs (task 3). Stantec said it has compiled more than 395,000 data points across 130 locations and will use College of the Florida Keys data as part of the analysis.

Given budget constraints, Stantec proposed a cost‑effective interim approach of monthly ‘grab’ samples at harbor locations while staff pursues EPA grant funding for more frequent continuous monitoring at the Yellowman (telemetry-enabled sensors that stream to a public dashboard). Commissioners asked for a clear cost estimate for returning to continuous Yellowman monitoring and for options to fund the sensors; staff committed to return with numbers at the Sept. 10 budget meeting. Public commenter Arlo Haskell said earlier monitoring had identified "35 violations of, state and federal water quality standards by cruise ships operating at Pier B," pressing the commission for urgency.

Commissioners directed staff to provide budgetary options and to consider short-term purchases to resume harbor testing while pursuing grants for an expanded monitoring network. Stantec will deliver a technical memo summarizing the data review and mitigation options by December; mitigation actions and monitoring program design are expected in early 2027.