We have received the following clarification from Amy Bell Senior Management Analyst at Nassau County Board of County Commissioners (emphasis added).
"In providing a letter of intent, you are indicating your support of the American Beach Water and Sewer District (District) to submit a Rural Economic Development Initiative grant application to the St. John’s River Water Management District for construction of a sewer line connection from the central sewer system to your residence and abandonment of your existing septic tank. The letter indicates your intent to connecting to the new central sewer system once it is completed. This Letter of Intent does not obligate you to connect."
Please note that the more property owners who submit the letter of intent, the greater the likelihood that those who do connect will receive grant money to enable them do so.
The St. Johns River Water Management District Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI) Grant could provide funding to residents within the American Beach Water and Sewer District for the cost of connection once the water and sewer conversion project is complete.
In order to qualify for the REDI grant, property owners within the American Beach Water and Sewer District boundaries, with existing septic systems, must submit letters of intent to connect to the new central system before December 20, 2022.
Grant funding is contingent upon at least 30% participation from property owners, and the likelihood of receiving the grant is greatly improved if 100% of property owners provide a letter of intent.
The Letter of Intent is also an agreement to enter into a Property Access
Agreement which permits temporary access to conduct the onsite sewer lateral and septic tank abandonment work activities.
This link will take you to the Letter of Intent and a list of Frequently Asked Questions which are also copied below.
The letters cannot be filled out and signed online but should be printed out, completed, signed, and sent to the County Manager's Office.
Simplified Letter of Intent:
Frequently Asked Questions:
What am I committing to by signing the letter of intent? In providing a letter of intent, you are indicating your support of the American Beach Water and Sewer District (District) to submit a Rural Economic Development Initiative grant application to the St. John’s River Water Management District for construction of a sewer line connection from the central sewer system to your residence and abandonment of your existing septic tank. The letter indicates your intent to connecting to the new central sewer system once it is completed.
By providing the letter of support, am I making any type of financial commitment? Providing a letter of intent to connect to the central sewer system does not obligate you to any costs relating to the grant.
What is the cost of connecting my residence to new central sewer collection system? If the cost- share grant is awarded, the cost to extend the sewer line from the edge of right-of-way to your residence and the cost of abandoning your existing septic tank could be waived. If the grant is not awarded and you are not granted a waiver for other reasons, residents can anticipate a cost for this work. Actual costs will vary for each property.
What are the repercussions of not signing the letter of intent? Letters of intent are required for the cost-share grant application. In order for the grant application to be considered for funding a minimum of 30% of homeowners must provide letters of intent. The grant application rank scoring is improved with 50-100% letters of intent. Not providing a letter of intent decreases the District’s likelihood of qualifying for the REDI grant.
When may the work start in my yard? There is an advance notification of service availability period provided in State law. However, the new collection system along Gregg and Lewis will be completed on or about September 2023. If the grant is awarded, extending the laterals and abandoning septic tanks in this area could begin as early as October 2023 with subsequent areas to follow. We anticipate all on-site work being completed by July 2024.
Why should I abandon my septic tank? Failed or failing septic tanks present serious hazards including but not limited to cave-in’s or collapse and may contaminate your drinking water well.
Who obtains permits for the sewer line extension and abandoning of the septic tank? A licensed contractor is responsible for acquiring septic tank abandonment permit in accordance with Chapter 64E-6.011, F.A.C. on behalf of the property owner.
How long does will it take to extend the sewer line and properly abandon my septic tank? The schedule will always depend on availability and workload of contractors. Once scheduled, extending the sewer line to your home typically takes 1-2 days. Abandoning the septic tank typically occurs in 1-2 days. All work associated with abandoning your existing tank and extending the sewer lateral should be able to occur in within one work week.
What is an access agreement referenced in the letter of intent? In order for a contractor to access your property and perform the necessary work, he/she will need a temporary access agreement authorized by the property owner to legally enter the property. This agreement will have a limited duration and only permits access to conduct the onsite sewer lateral and septic tank abandonment work activities.