Communities are suffering from Lake Okeechobee discharges because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers seems to think that it’s okay to ignore the law.  Their illegal actions are destroying our ecology and putting public health in jeopardy by flushing polluted water into our backyard.

This isn’t just hyperbole.  The Army Corps has gone rogue, and we are paying the price.

Here’s what’s happening: In 2022, we achieved monumental success by passing the Northern Estuaries Restoration Plan (NERP).  This first-of-its-kind bill forces the federal government to develop a plan to build all the infrastructure necessary to stop harmful discharges completely.

As a result, ending harmful discharges from Lake Okeechobee is the law of the land – passed by the House of Representatives, passed by the Senate and signed into law by the President.  But now, the Army Corps is straight up ignoring it – breaking federal law and willfully putting lives at risk.

Go deeper: NERP required the Army Corps to submit their first interim report on their progress under this law by December 23, 2023.  They ignored the deadline.  When we reached out to them to ask why, they told us they had no intention of complying with the law.

This follows a familiar pattern.  Since they dug up our pristine state to begin with, bureaucrats at the Army Corps have taken a “we know better” approach.  They hide behind lawyers with inane and baseless legal arguments to get away with the kinds of crimes that would make Al Capone and John Dillinger blush.

They delayed the EAA Reservoir for years using these mob boss tactics, but eventually we succeeded in forcing them into compliance.  That’s exactly what I intend to do now with NERP.

So, I’m sounding the alarm: I will stop at nothing to ensure full compliance with this law.  The Army Corps will not get away with this crime.

We will not be used as Florida’s septic tank any longer, so I will make sure the Army Corps is not allowed to give Congress the middle finger when they are given orders to execute.

Read the letter here: