Clarification appended: An attribution has been added to clarify who said the city failed to properly charge residents'
The City of Archer has received a $13 million grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the largest it has received in recent years. Lake City, around 50 miles from Archer, received $1.8 million for the second phase of a septic-to-sewer conversion project.
The grant will be used to improve Archer’s wastewater plant, an issue that has plagued the city for more than 30 years. The city is over $900,000 in debt, a lot of money owed coming from a loan the city took out to support the plant.
City leaders failed to properly track residents' water usage, which led to the city undercharging them, auditors said in an interview about Archer's finances in February.
In recent years, the city has received $6.8 million from the department to alleviate the problems that have arisen from the plant.
In January 2024, the city entered an interlocal agreement with the City of Newberry. The City of Archer is responsible for building lines to pump into the wastewater facility as a part of their collaboration. The joint project is set to begin next year and finish in 2027.
This is a breaking news story. Check back in case there are further developments. Contact WUFT News by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org.