PALMETTO BAY, FLA. May 15th, 2020 – The Everglades Reservoir project—among Governor Ron DeSantis’ most important priorities and a critical component of Everglades restoration—is in jeopardy once again, but The Everglades Foundation is having none of it.
“Mind-numbing bureaucracy and red tape cannot stand in the way of restoring the Everglades and protecting the economy of America’s third-largest state,” said Eric Eikenberg, CEO of The Everglades Foundation. The Everglades Reservoir project was authorized by Congress in 2018 as a ‘post-authorization change’ to the Central Everglades Plan, which was authorized by Congress in 2016. Now, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has suddenly and arbitrarily determined that the project requires a “new start” designation, which could delay its construction indefinitely, according to Eikenberg.
“The people of Florida have been waiting for Everglades restoration for decades,” Eikenberg asserted. “Slapping a bureaucratic label onto this project to delay its construction flies in the face of the momentum that Congress and President Trump have built for the Everglades, and it offends our intelligence. This project needs to start now.”
“Florida’s environment and economy have suffered persistent outbreaks of toxic blue-green algae,” Eikenberg said. “America’s Everglades and Florida Bay have suffocated from a lack of fresh water for long enough. We urgently need to store, clean and move water south to recharge south Florida’s aquifer and secure its water supply. Florida cannot wait any longer.”
In an effort to reverse the Corps’ erroneous designation, The Everglades Foundation is working with the DeSantis Administration and members of the Florida Congressional delegation, and the organization is appealing to President Trump.