FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. Floridas Department of Environmental Protection is giving the city of Fort Lauderdale a choice in how it will pay for a series of sewage breaks that plagued the Rio Vista Neighborhood for months. Either pay a hefty penalty or invest in environmental restoration projects. I think it is a long overdue wake up call we hope for the State of Florida, not just this individual city, Valenstein said. The new order now gives the city the option to pay a historic penalty of more than $2 million or invest in an in-kind project. Chaz Adams, a spokesperson for the City of Fort Lauderdale, told Local 10 that they have been in contact with the regulatory agency about the order, but have not decided how to proceed.