ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County Commissioners could soon make a big decision in the fight over one community’s drinking water.
For years, Wedgefield residents have complained about service from their private utility provider Pluris.
In late 2016, the Wedgefield homeowners’ association requested that Orange County consider acquiring the Pluris water and wastewater system.
For more than a year the county has been in continuous talks with Pluris about a potential buyout and some Wedgefield residents hope the county will finally take action during a meeting Tuesday.
Channel 9 spoke to Sheila Mayhew, a Wedgefield resident and leader with the Wedgefield Water Alliance.
She is one of many residents who have advocated for a potential county takeover because of concerns about quality, costs, and customer service.
Pluris maintains their water meets all state and federal standards, but residents told Channel 9 the water has a foul smell, tastes off, and is often discolored...
“It smells like sewage, and I don’t want to drink that,” said Mayhew.
County officials say it would cost at least $83.4 million to purchase Pluris and then bring the aging water facility’s infrastructure up to Orange County Utility’s standards.
Wedgefield’s Pluris customers would be asked to fund at least $35 million via a Municipal Service Benefit Unit that would allow the county to add a special assessment to their tax bill.
However, Orange County Officials have been reluctant to greenlight a purchase because existing Orange County Utilities customers could end up on the hook for surprise repairs at Pluris.
On Tuesday, Commissioners could decide whether to continue negotiating a potential Pluris purchase or greenlight a third option: letting the Florida Governmental Utility Authority (FGUA) take over.
FGUA is a special-purpose government body that, according to Orange County, “acquires, owns, improves, and operates water and wastewater facilities.”
According to FGUA’s website, they already operate 98 water systems in 14 counties across the state, including one in Tangerine.
FGUA’s website states the Tangerine plant located at 5372 Huron Street and serves approximately 312 water customers.
County commissioners will take up the matter Tuesday morning.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2025 Cox Media Group
