NY Times: “Indian Creek Village, the island community that is home to Jeff Bezos and several other billionaires, has faced strong pushback in its quest to discharge its sewage through the neighboring town of Surfside. But Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has now signed legislation that will prevent Surfside from intervening.
Like other communities in South Florida, Indian Creek Village has been under pressure for decades to eliminate shallow septic systems that have been leaking waste into the delicate ecosystem of Biscayne Bay.
The village comprises only a few dozen properties on a private, man-made island where a vacant lot recently sold for $110 million. Mr. Bezos has properties on the island. Down the street is the retired N.F.L. superstar Tom Brady. A little farther is President Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, who now sits on Indian Creek’s village council.
But when Indian Creek Village proposed to send its waste through the pipes of the neighboring town Surfside, officials there proposed that Indian Creek Village pay $10 million to help cover the historical cost of the system. Indian Creek Village balked and, The New York Times found, worked behind the scenes to persuade state officials to fix the problem.
The solution came in the form of wording inserted deep into the text of a bill dedicated to the Florida Department of Transportation. Under the rules, municipalities cannot prohibit or require a permit for certain sewer projects. The Indian Creek plan fits the definition.
Both houses of the state Legislature had approved the measure, and on Friday, the state’s official legislative docket indicated that Mr. DeSantis had signed it. The governor’s office and Mr. Kushner have not responded to requests for comment.”