Plan Would Make Bottled Water Companies Pay

It's your water, but they're making money off it. Eyewitness News has learned of a state plan to make bottled water companies pay for every gallon of water they take.

Governor Charlie Crist thinks the state could make tens of millions of dollars under his plan and that would help plug a $700 million hole in the budget. It involves companies like the controversial Niagara Bottled Water Company in Groveland, which is sucking a half-million gallons of water out of our aquifer every day.

The thinking behind the plan is water is available for all of us and we pay taxes and water bills to provide it, but when we choose to spend a buck for a bottle of Florida water, not a cent of that dollar goes to Florida.

The company who pumped the water out of the ground didn't pay the state for it either. That is untapped cash that Florida sees a need to go after.

All that water that comes out of Florida rivers and out of the ground you pay for. Eyewitness News talked to residents in Daytona Beach on Thursday with bills that reached into the hundreds of dollars.

"If they're not paying for it and they're making profit, I'm sure it's just ridiculous, they should be paying something for it," resident Sarah Riggs said.

Governor Crist's budget proposes that they start paying something. Producers like Niagara would be charged six cents per gallon. A company like Niagara alone would be looking at sending $10 million to the state.

"You know, I'm sorry. They're depleting a resource that's very important to the state of Florida," said State Senator Evelyn Lynn.

Lynn is applauding the plan and has her own bill aimed at going after water bottlers. She wants to take water off the list of tax-exempt items. You pay sales tax when you buy a soda or flavored drink and Lynn believes water in a bottle should be no different.

"It's a fairness issue, again. Pay for the bottled water. It's a manufactured product at this point," she said.

Lynn's bill is in committee right now. If it passes, some estimates are that it could generate as much as $40 million for the state.