June 6th, 2015. The Miami Dade Board of County Commissioners passed a resolution urging the Florida Legislature to set aside $500 million to acquire land south of Lake Okeechobee to build a reservoir to send water south. The resolution also urges lawmakers to allocate 25.7 percent of Amendment 1 funds for Everglades restoration as proposed by the Governor.
Water storage south of Lake Okeechobee, as outlined in the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), is the heart of Everglades restoration and crucial to Florida’s water supply. And the bi-partisan CERP specifically calls for a reservoir south of the lake in the Everglades Agricultural Area to store and treat excess water so it can be sent south into the Everglades.
The resolution, sponsored by Commissioners Daniella Levine Cava, Rebecca Sosa and Sally Heyman, will be sent to Governor Scott, the Senate President, House Speaker, Sen. Negron and Chair and members of the Miami-Dade Legislative Delegation who returned to Tallahassee yesterday for Special Session to pass a budget.