The City of St. Marks received $210,000 to upgrade its aging sewer system lift stations, part of a broader push to address infrastructure vulnerabilities exposed by Hurricane Helene.WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW: St. Marks receives $2 10,000 to upgrade sewer lift stations after Hurricane Helene exposed vulnerabilitiesThe funding comes as the city and surrounding Wakulla County communities work to shore up water and sewer systems. Talquin also received state funding to replace a well in Wakulla.Hurricane Helene revealed significant issues with St. Marks' water and sewer systems. The city had also sought funding to upgrade its water system, but that project was vetoed by the governor.The city manager shared a statement underscoring the importance of reliable water infrastructure to the community."As a gateway community to the Gulf of America, our water system supports the restaurants, businesses, parks, public facilities, and attractions that visitors rely on, making it essential to both our quality of life and our tourism economy," the city manager said.Stan West, the owner of Riverside Cafe, agreed, saying that having these systems up to date helps businesses run smoothly."Like customers are looking to eat, so you got to have potable water. You got to have the water to be able to wash hands and wash pots and things to do with the restaurant. It's all about cleanliness, and it takes water to have cleanliness," West said.Representative Shoaf said reliable water and wastewater services are a basic necessity for families and businesses. In a statement, Shoaf said working with local partners like the city of St. Marks and Talquin to help protect the St. Marks and Wakulla rivers is a priority. "Access to clean, reliable water and wastewater service is a basic necessity for families and businesses. Hurricane Helene showed us how vulnerable the City of St. Marks' aging lift stations are to flooding and power loss, and protecting the St. Marks and Wakulla rivers from sewage overflows has to be a priority. Throughout my time in the House, I have worked closely with Talquin, the City of St. Marks and our local partners to improve these systems, and while we have made progress, there is more work to do."The city is applying for funding through the Florida Rural Infrastructure Fund for the water upgrades.According to the appropriations requests, the projects are expected to start between 2026 and 2027.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website. Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.Like us on FacebookFollow us on Instagram and X. ...read more read less