Martin County awards $7.49m contract for Floridan Aquifer supply wells

Martin County awards $7.49m contract for Floridan Aquifer supply wellsThe Board of County Commissioners authorized the pay-as-you-go project, drawing on accumulated Capital Facilities Charges to expand water supply infrastructure at the North Jensen and Tropical Farms facilities.

AllWeb Enterprises secured the $7.49 million contract, which covers base bids and alternates for the North Jensen (NRO-5) and Tropical Farms (TFR-08) well projects.

The board approved a budget transfer from utility capital reserves, including $3.68 million for the TFR-08 well and $1.91 million for the NRO-5 well.

County Administrator Don Donaldson confirmed the project requires no borrowed funds, relying entirely on collected developer impact fees.

During its August 11, 2026, meeting, the Martin County Board of County Commissioners approved a major water supply infrastructure package, awarding a $7,492,300 contract to AllWeb Enterprises for the construction of two Floridan Aquifer supply wells. The contract covers the North Jensen R05 (NRO-5) and Tropical Farms R08 (TFR-08) well projects, expanding the county's groundwater withdrawal capabilities. AllWeb Enterprises was selected as the lowest responsive and responsible bidder for the base bid and associated alternates. To finance the construction, the board approved a series of budget transfers from the utility's capital reserves. The transfers allocate $3,681,500 to the Tropical Farms well project, $1,910,800 to the North Jensen well project, and $299,937 for related construction phase engineering services for the Tropical Farms well. County Administrator Don Donaldson emphasized that the infrastructure expansion is a pay-as-you-go initiative that will not require the county to incur new debt. Funding is drawn directly from Capital Facilities Charges (CFCs), which act as the utility's equivalent to impact fees. "Every time a building permit is provided or a development is done, they provide capital facility charges," Donaldson explained. "They go into the capital reserve budget of the utilities department. And it's earmarked. It can only stay for utilities." Donaldson noted that the reserve fund is specifically designed to accumulate over time to pay for major capacity expansions, allowing the utility to cash-fund the $7.49 million contract without utilizing bonds. "This is not a borrowing action," he confirmed to the board. "This is simply taking funds that have been built up over time."