Far too often it feels like the federal government just isn't paying attention to the issues that really impact our day to day lives. I had a stark example of that in a committee hearing this week when I questioned the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on SB10 and our efforts to build a reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee.

Months ago when I first asked the Army Corps how long it would take to build a southern reservoir, I was given an eight to ten year timeline. When I asked them again about the project this week, they seemed to have conveniently forgotten all about us. This is absolutely unacceptable.

We cannot afford to wait another eight to ten years to begin construction on a southern reservoir. Every summer with toxic algal blooms means more businesses are forced to close, more people lose their jobs and more children get sick.

That's why I introduced the Everglades FIRST Act, which will force the Army Corps to expedite the timeline on this project and could cut the total time in nearly half.