JUNO BEACH, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis was in Juno Beach on Thursday morning where he touted the continued push to restore the Everglades and divert water south of Lake Okeechobee.
The governor and other state officials spoke at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center.
For the upcoming state budget, DeSantis said he will recommend $805 million for Everglades restoration. The governor announced he would also call for a congressional block grant to expedite the construction of the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) reservoir.
"We are going to be asking that the federal government delegate to the states the ability to take the federal funding and we will manage these projects and we will execute these projects on behalf of the federal government," DeSantis said. "Lord knows we'll do it a hell of a lot quicker than they will do it. ... Send us the funds. Give us the authority, and let us get to work, and we will get this done and move it along very, very quickly."
WATCH BELOW: DeSantis speaks on Everglades restoration in Juno Beach
According to the South Florida Water Management District, the EAA includes two major features: a treatment wetland that will clean water and a reservoir that will store excess water from Lake Okeechobee.
"If we are able to get (the EAA) done, you're going to have massive, massive more clean water that's going to be able to go south through the Everglades into Florida Bay," DeSantis said. "Just from what we've already done, we have had Florida Bay reach its salinity goals for the first time in decades."
Everglades Foundation CEO Eric Eikenberg applauded the governor's actions.
"What has been accomplished for Everglades restoration under Governor DeSantis' leadership is extraordinary, and what he has outlined in his budget recommendation – $805 million for restoration — only continues the momentous strides that have been made during his time in office," Eikenberg said in a statement.
He was joined by the following speakers at Thursday's news conference:
- Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Alexis Lambert
- South Florida Water Management District Executive Director Drew Bartlett
- The Everglades Trust Chief Executive Officer Anna Upton
In addition to Everglades restoration, the governor said he will also urge funding for other water quality projects across the state including funding to clean water along the Kissimmee River before it reaches Lake Okeechobee.
Since 2019, DeSantis and Lambert said 75 Everglades restoration projects have either been completed, broken ground or hit a "major milestone."
As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office, DeSantis said he was optimistic about working with the federal government on achieving these initiatives.
Eric Eikenberg, the CEO of the Everglades Foundation, told WPTV that he is in support of the state taking over managing Everglades restoration projects. He said have been in the works for the last 25 years.
"If we remain with a sense of urgency, if we continue to press, if we continue to push for the critical projects that again are reconnecting Lake Okeechobee down to the Florida Keys by the end of this decade you're going to see significant restoration happen and then quite frankly it's perpetual protection in what we're investing in," Eikenberg said.
