Fixing a ditch can cost a city or county government a lot of money. According to Congressman David Jolly, that price tag is about to jump into the millions.
During a debate, while the congressman was running for the U.S. Senate, Jolly said under a new Environmental Protection Agency regulation, it will cost Pinellas County, “$31 million to fix a single ditch.”
PolitiFact Florida heard the claim and gave it a MOSTLY FALSE rating.
Writer Josh Gillin says that’s because the number Jolly used was just an estimate by a lobbyist group against the rule change. That and there’s no word on whether the change will go through.
“The actual rule change on its own is on hold because a lot of states have filed a lawsuit against the EPA about this rule change,” Gillin said.
For that reason, Jolly’s statement received a MOSTLY FALSE rating.
SOURCES: EPA regulation means millions in ditch repair Jolly says
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- Interview with Max Goodman, Jolly spokesman, April 26, May 4-5, 2016
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