200,000 gallons of sewage quietly leaked in the Florida Keys — some during a hurricane

In late September, as Hurricane Ian brushed the Florida Keys on its way to hitting the state’s southwestern Gulf coast, nearly 200,000 gallons of raw sewage from the island chain’s billion-dollar wastewater treatment system — not even 10 years old — leaked into the porous ground and nearshore waters. The “unauthorized discharges” weren’t disclosed to the public or the five-member board that oversees the wastewater utility. The leaks were revealed in two February “warning letters” issued by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The letters to the utility — the Florida Keys Aqueduc...