Lack of a stable, reliable and predictable source of funding limits the stormwater management programs in communities throughout Florida. It is evident in many communities that the priority accorded in recent years to drainage system planning, operation and maintenance, and capital investment does not represent an adequate financial commitment to correcting existing problems or preventing new ones. Existing sources of funding in many communities, primarily from property taxes, must meet other pressing needs in addition to stormwater control. Continuing growth in Florida communities poses increasing demands for all types of public services, many of which are supported wholly or largely from property taxes. In times of growth, these other needs effectively limit funding for stormwater management, drainage improvements and operations.

The stormwater management program faces an increasingly difficult challenge in competing for funding in the future. It is unrealistic to expect that additional resources will become available for drainage at the expense of other community priorities, such as crime prevention, without some regulatory mandate by Federal, State and regional regulatory agencies.

The current levels of drainage funding in many Florida communities prevents them from developing a comprehensive, cohesive and coordinated drainage program, especially in light of the emerging and future drainage program needs. Communities throughout the State have recognized that stormwater maintenance and operations need to be upgraded, hazard mitigation improved, drainage master planning efforts authorized and adopted, major capital improvements built, aquifer recharge zones protected by acquisition and regulations, and water quality programs developed. These activities will require increased annual funding for the additional staffing required to accomplish these objectives, and capital outlays will be required for equipment, land acquisition and construction projects. If future needs are to be met by many Florida communities, either a reallocation of existing financial resources will be required, or new source (or sources) of funding must be developed to finance the stormwater management program.

The bottom line is that the present level of funding for drainage programs is insufficient in many communities to carry out effective day?to?day operations, much less build major capital projects and acquire land and easements. Water and wastewater management are separately funded as enterprise utilities, and road improvements are funded primarily through gas taxes, thus avoiding direct competition with the General Fund and other programs supported predominately through property taxes.

Florida communities must carefully consider enterprise financing methods for stormwater management, comparable to water and wastewater utilities, if they are to achieve a funding level for their stormwater management programs that is adequate to address the problems which have been identified in the foregoing sections. Two characteristics of the enterprise fund approach are that the revenues generated are dedicated to stormwater management activities and that the revenues generated are directly related to the operating costs and capital investment program of the community's stormwater management system.