“Residents deserve better, there has been a clear failure of leadership,” the attorney general said.<\/p>\n
\nResidents in Apalachicola are being forced to bathe in rivers, restaurants cannot serve water to customers, and homes are filled with a persistent, foul odor.<\/p>\n
Accountability starts now.<\/p>\n
My office is launching an investigation into the City of Apalachicola. pic.twitter.com\/NP9b1NTs8B<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) June 26, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Florida’s attorney general is investigating the City of Apalachicola, alleging local leaders have misused funds appropriated to fix its failing water purification system<\/a>.<\/p>\n
“Not only has the city received millions of dollars to fix their compromised water filtration system, but months and months have gone by with little to no response or activity whatsoever to fix this compromised system,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier in a video posted to X.<\/a><\/p>\n
“Residents deserve better, there has been a clear failure of leadership,” he added.<\/p>\n
The attorney general’s office will be working with state prosecutors, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Florida Department of Health, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and other federal and state agencies, Uthmeier said.<\/p>\n
The state will also enlist the help of its DOGE Task Force to investigate financial mismanagement.<\/p>\n
The town has been in a state of emergency<\/a> since Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc\u00a0on the Gulf Coast last September. The Category 4 storm damaged the water system and knocked out what’s known as a scrubber, making it unable to completely filter the\u00a0water that flows to Apalachicola homes and businesses.\u00a0The device isn’t easily fixable or replaceable, and the city is under a boil water notice.<\/p>\n
“Residents there are suffering,” Uthmeier said. “The water is dirty and unusable. There is a putrid, foul odor and it must be boiled before people can drink it, cook with it or even brush their teeth. Businesses are struggling. They can’t serve water to their patrons.”<\/p>\n
As chronicled in a Tallahassee Democrat front page story, residents have resorted to bathing in the Apalachicola River or sending their kids outside with soap and a washcloth when it rains.<\/p>\n
The water, a brown and gray color, has a high level of hydrogen sulfide, which is a result of the breakdown of organic matter. In small amounts, it\u2019s not usually harmful, but it can make water taste or smell sour or metallic.<\/p>\n
That smell can get worse in the heat, and on June 13, a day when the lowest temperature was 80 degrees<\/a>, the city declared a water emergency.<\/p>\n
Even though it’s tourism season, instead of the smell of seafood boils and grilling hamburgers, the water’s odor became the dominant smell in homes, and the water stank up local restaurants and taverns.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On June 25, state Rep. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, and state Rep. Jason\u00a0Shoaf, R-Port St. Joe, held a town hall meeting<\/a> to hear what residents had to say about the ongoing water crisis.<\/p>\n
Business owners said sales have plummeted and cancellations have skyrocketed, prompting some to lay off workers or shut their doors altogether.<\/p>\n
“We will use every tool we have to bring any civil or criminal remedy necessary to deliver for our Floridians,” Uthmeier said.<\/p>\n
Sheriff A.J. Smith requested investigation into water crisis<\/p>\n
Franklin County Sheriff A.J. \u201cTony\u201d Smith told the Tallahassee Democrat that he called the attorney general and Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass earlier in the week asking for an investigation \u201cinto where all the money\u2019s being spent in the city.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause people have come up to me and said hey, what\u2019s going on, something doesn\u2019t seem right,\u201d Smith said. \u201cAnd so I don\u2019t have the expertise in my organization to do that. They have the people, the forensic examiners \u2026 can come in and look where all the money, all the grants, the money for fees, where\u2019s all this stuff going.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith, who attended the June 25 town hall meeting on the water crisis in Apalachicola, said the city\u2019s water problems have been going on for years.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I think it\u2019s just finally reached a point where people are getting sick and enough people have become aware of just the way the water smells, the way it looks,\u201d the sheriff said. \u201cSomething\u2019s not right and so people started asking questions and here we are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ana Go\u00f1i-Lessan, state watchdog reporter for the USA TODAY Network \u2013 Florida, can be reached at\u00a0agonilessan@gannett.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n