What Florida’s New Everglades Restoration Deal w/The Army Corps Means
Bottom Line: On time or ahead of schedule? Those are two things that you never hear when the federal government is in charge of a project. But in Florida, the state that’s ranked second in taxpayer ROI, and commonly first in government efficiency, that’s a different story. We’re the state that had the washed-out Sanibel Causeway up and running with a week of Hurricane Ian and completely restored months ahead of schedule. Similarly, it was just this past March that the state of Florida had the newly established NASA Causeway Bridge at Cape Canaveral completed 125 days ahead of schedule. And when it’s come to Everglades Restoration, from the raising of Tamiami Trail, to the raising of the Lake O’Dike and building of multiple reservoirs for runoff water as part of the EAA Reservoir system – we made more progress towards permanent progress in the past six years than we’d arguably made in the prior 60 years.
However, there’s always been a thorn in the side of Florida’s progress. The federal government and specifically the Army Corps of Engineers. Whether it’s been their damaging, unnecessary (and unnatural) eastern and western discharges which have wreaked havoc on our waterways, or simply the slower pace with which federal agencies go about doing things – the biggest obstacle to quicker success and greater progress with the 68 different aspects of the Everglades Restoration Project and our waterways had been the federal government. But recently Governor DeSantis announced an agreement that changes almost everything. The new agreement delegates work the Army Corps of Engineers was tasked with doing to Florida agencies instead. Here’s what will happen as a result:
- Accelerates the EAA Reservoir’s construction timeline by five years—from 2034 to 2029.
- Authorizes Florida to construct the inflow and outflow pump stations, along with other supporting features, enabling the Corps to focus on the main reservoir basin.
- Allows Florida to assume responsibility for the Blue Shanty Flow Way, a vital system to deliver clean water south across the Tamiami Trail and into Florida Bay.
- Enable Florida to manage future CERP projects, through expedited permitting and updated federal memoranda of understanding.
- Cuts federal red tape and redirect resources to fast-track critical restoration efforts.
This is huge. This means that in four years we should be ready to permanently end eastern discharges from Lake O’ into our waterways. It will mean the Everglades will get the natural flow of water that it needs to be healthy. It also means more control and more accountability that’s within our control with our elected officials as opposed to unelected and unaccountable decision makers at the Army Corps of Engineers. It’s a huge win for the state of Florida. It’s a huge win for the Everglades Restoration plan.