WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Rick Scott wrote a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to continue critical funding for projects to restore the Everglades, including for the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration, in his upcoming budget requests to Congress.

Read the full letter HERE or below.

The Honorable Joe Biden

President

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

As you finalize your Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 budget, I respectfully ask you to build on the progress that has been made in recent years toward fully restoring America’s Everglades and commit to full and robust funding in your forthcoming budget request to Congress for the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration (SFER), based on the current Integrated Delivery Schedule (IDS) the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has set forth.

Your administration’s support for full and robust Everglades restoration funding will help ensure that key projects, like the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir Project, remain a priority. The EAA will allow more clean water to be stored south of Lake Okeechobee, helping prevent and mitigate the impacts of harmful algal blooms and naturally occurring red tide in Florida’s coastal waterways. This is just one example of the many important projects that will complement the work we started when I was Governor of Florida.

I recently visited the Herbert Hoover Dike (HHD) to see the great work the Army Corps of Engineers is doing to complete it this year. This progress is the direct result of our work during my time as Governor to put forward $100 million in state funds to finish the HHD, and federal funding from the Trump administration. Once completed, the critical repairs being made to the HHD will ensure that more water will be sent south and also provide billions of gallons of water storage around Lake Okeechobee.

Moving forward, full and robust funding in FY 2023 will allow the USACE the flexibility to continue focusing on multi-year contracts that will ensure more projects to protect the Everglades and wildlife, ensure equitable access to water and improve the lives of Florida families are completed on schedule and on budget.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter. I look forward to working with you and your administration to continue the restoration efforts of our nation’s Everglades.

Sincerely,

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