The federal government has played a big role perpetuating the recurring environmental and economic crises caused by Lake Okeechobee discharges, but they aren't taking responsibility for the damage caused to our community. That's absolutely unacceptable.

This week I announced legislation to declare a federal emergency when the U.S. Army Corps causes damaging harmful algal blooms. Our bill, the Federal Do No Harm Act, provides federal assistance for disaster cleanup, including the removal of toxic algal biomass and muck from affected waterways.

This bill is just the first step and grew out of conversations that I've had for the last several months. Earlier this week, I traveled to Tallahassee to advocate for efforts to clean up Treasure Coast water. I also held a summit this week in Stuart with local environmental leaders to talk about how the federal government and state government can work together to achieve this goal.

Together, we can make progress for our community to strengthen our economy and protect our environment.