The commissioners rejected the assurances of state environmental regulators and the county's own team of scientists that the permit provided adequate safeguards and sided with citizens who fear the plant will damage the bay.
Commissioners are correct to want the utmost protections for Tampa Bay.
Still, the board's position isn't supported by the facts. Five studies, including an independent study overseen by the county's own water team, have concluded the plant would not significantly harm the bay. The state Department of Environmental Protection, which issued the permit, the Southwest Florida Water Management District, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the county's own water specialists could find no grounds to halt the plant. Yet commissioners now want to undertake a legal challenge that could delay for more than a year the development of new water supplies in a region already shriveling from a prolonged drought. The stand also could cost millions in legal bills.