St. Pete approves $2.7 million fiber network for water facilities

St. Petersburg is strengthening the digital backbone of its water system through a 20-year agreement that city officials say will also make critical infrastructure harder to disrupt.

City Council unanimously approved a $2.72 million agreement Thursday with Miami-based Unity Fiber LLC to design, construct and maintain a dedicated fiber-optic network connecting nine Water Resources Department facilities.

The network will carry communications for the city’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system, commonly known as SCADA. Water Resources uses the technology to remotely monitor and control critical infrastructure.

“There are bad actors trying to target these industrial networks,” Thomas Menke, a senior manager with the Water Resources Department, told the council.

Menke said the city has received reports indicating an intent to interfere with municipal networks. A dedicated fiber system presents an additional barrier to such efforts.

“It’s very difficult [for bad actors] to tap into these fiber optics,” Menke assured.

Council documents describe the project as part of St. Pete Agile Resiliency (SPAR), an initiative focused on strengthening city infrastructure against disruptions. The fiber project specifically advances SPAR objectives by improving the reliability of communications between water facilities and protecting operations from natural and cyber threats.

The investment comes amid a much larger effort to modernize St. Petersburg’s aging water infrastructure. The city’s current five-year Water Resources capital plan totals roughly $705.5 million, spanning water distribution, wastewater collection, lift stations, reclamation facilities and other improvements. That figure does not include potential general obligation bond-funded SPAR projects.

The Unity Fiber agreement includes $1.1 million for initial construction and installation. St. Petersburg will then pay $6,745 monthly over 20 years, totaling about $1.62 million in lease payments. Unity Fiber will handle maintenance throughout the contract.

City administrators said the long-term arrangement locks in telecommunications costs while allowing Water Resources to increase bandwidth through future equipment upgrades. It also gives the department greater control over communications rather than relying on less specialized infrastructure.

Despite the 20-year term, the city can terminate the agreement with 30 days’ notice. It would remain responsible for the initial construction and installation expense.

The agreement was exempt from the city’s standard procurement process under a provision covering telecommunications services. Money for the initial work has been appropriated through Water Resources capital and operating funds; future-year expenditures remain subject to council approval