I made a promise on the Floor of the United States House of Representatives shortly after I was sworn into Congress that fixing our water quality would be my top priority, and passing legislation to authorize the EAA reservoir was a critical step toward doing that.  This project is essential to moving more water south and helping to stop toxic discharges into our community.   

Today, on Earth Day, Governor Ron DeSantis signed the project’s “partnership agreement.” This important agreement between the State of Florida and the federal government is the last major hurdle that needed to be overcome so that the Army Corps could begin construction on their portion of the project. 

The EAA Reservoir was authorized by Congress as a result of legislation that I wrote in 2018 and thanks to Governor DeSantis’ leadership, the state began construction on their portion of the project a year ahead of schedule.  But the federal government has lagged behind, bogging down their portion in unnecessary bureaucracy that I’ve been fighting back against every step of the process! 

While there will undoubtedly be more fights to be had, signing this agreement today is major progress toward our goal of restoring the Everglades and stopping discharges.  It’s much-needed good news in the fight for clean water this Earth Day!