The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has issued a consent order to the Village of Islamorada addressing six sanitary sewer overflows that occurred between May 3, 2021 and March 27, 2025. The order, dated Oct. 15, 2025 and posted as a draft on the Village of Islamorada’s website, requires repairs to the wastewater collection and transmission system, updates to the village’s emergency response plan, engineering certifications for corrective work, and payment of $11,320 in penalties and costs.

According to the draft consent order and corroborating local news reports, the six overflows—three at the Gardenia Street Pump Station and three along the northbound Overseas Highway—released untreated sewage in volumes ranging from 2,000 to 400,000 gallons. The earliest recorded incident was May 3, 2021, when 10,000 gallons spilled at the Gardenia Street Pump Station with no recovery and no reported surface water impacts. A major event followed on July 23, 2022 at the same pump station, releasing 400,000 gallons. Subsequent overflows occurred June 18, 2023 (2,000 gallons near Burton Drive), May 13, 2024 (4,000 gallons at MM 92.3), Sept. 2, 2024 (4,000 gallons at MM 92.3), and March 27, 2025 (10,000 gallons at Gardenia Street). Official documentation indicates there were no reported impacts to surface waters from these incidents.

The Village of Islamorada operates the wastewater system that transmits sewage to a treatment facility in Key Largo. The DEP’s enforcement action signals concerns about an aging pipeline network and recurring vulnerabilities in transmission infrastructure. The consent order references engineering certifications as part of the corrective path and allows the village the option of an in-kind environmental project in lieu of direct penalty payment, subject to DEP approval.

Under the timeline attached to the order, the village was given 20 days to sign and return the consent order and roughly 60 days to pay the penalty or elect an in-kind project, with a final deadline of Dec. 31, 2027 to complete all corrective actions. The draft order and local reporting note options for project partnerships, but do not detail whether the village has already signed the document or selected remediation measures.

For residents and local businesses, the DEP action is significant even though official records report no surface water impacts. Community members depend on clean waterways for drinking water, recreation, commercial and recreational fishing, and tourism—the economic backbone of the Upper Keys. Recurrent sewage overflows, particularly large releases like the 400,000-gallon event in 2022, underscore the potential risk to beaches, marine habitats and local livelihoods if system failures continue.

Key questions remain unverified: whether Islamorada has executed the consent order, whether environmental sampling was conducted after the spills to confirm the absence of impacts, and whether the village council has held public discussions about the required repairs and timelines. Journalists and residents can monitor the Village of Islamorada website and DEP filings for signed orders, engineering reports and semiannual progress updates as corrective measures proceed.