Rubio, Scott push for Everglades Restoration

Florida Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott wrote to Michael Connor, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, prior to the Army Corps Engineers finalizing their supplemental work plan for Fiscal Years 2022 through 2024, to ensure that “all proposed and ongoing projects in Florida receive full and fair consideration of their value to local communities, our state, and our nation.”

This includes maintaining historic progress towards the restoration of Florida’s Everglades through projects like the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) and Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Storage Reservoir through strong investment, the approval of continuing contract clause authority, and the expeditious delivery of the CEPP North Validation Report.

Specifically, the Senators urge the Army Corps “to allocate no less than $1.5 billion in supplemental construction funding” for Everglades restoration.  
 
The project support list also includes a critical ecosystem restoration and flood control project in Puerto Rico known as the Caño Martín Peña project, which aims to improve water quality, restore the watershed’s ecosystem, and address serious public health and safety issues in afflicted neighborhoods in San Juan.

They specifically support funding to allow the below projects to achieve and sustain significant momentum towards completion:

• Broward County, FL Shore Protection Project,
• Collier County, FL Beach Erosion Control Project,
• Dade County, FL Beach Erosion Control and Hurricane Protection Project – Incorporate Key Biscayne Shore Damage Mitigation, Key Biscayne, FL as part of this project,
• Daytona Beach Flood Protection Project,
• Duval County, FL Beach Erosion Control Project – Next beach renourishment scheduled for 2023,
• Florida Keys Water Quality Improvements,
• Fort Pierce Beach, St. Lucie County, FL,
• Lee County, FL Beach Erosion Control,
• Manatee Harbor, FL,
• Palm Beach County, FL Beach Erosion Control Project,
• Panama City Harbor, FL,
• Pinellas County, FL Shore Protection Project – Includes need to come to an agreement with Pinellas County over easements to allow beach renourishment to commence in Fiscal Year 2022,
• Port Everglades Harbor, FL, etc.