I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: the fight for clean water is one that we wage 24-7, 365 days per year. Today, the Everglades Foundation brought the fight to Capitol Hill with a major event, America’s Everglades Summit. The Everglades Foundation is accomplishing critical rehabilitation and preservation efforts in Florida, and as a fighter for our waterways in Congress, I was proud to partner with them and kick off the day by highlighting the importance of those efforts. 

Members of Florida’s delegation from both sides of the aisle, business leaders, and environmental scientists all came together to speak, participate in panel discussions, and continue the dialogue on our successes, as well as how to chart our path forward. During my time in Congress, I have remained steadfast in my advocacy for clean water. Just last week, I reintroduced three bills—the Stop Poisoning Florida Act, the Toxic Health Threat Warning Act, and the PROTECT Florida Act—to fight back against the release of toxic chemicals in our water. And I continue to use my position on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to ask questions and deliver results for our communities. 

Today’s summit marks 25 years since Congress committed to restoring Florida’s system of subtropical wetlands through major legislation. Over the past two decades, vital progress has been made, but we must remember that the closer we get to our goal of achieving Everglades restoration, the more desperate our opposition becomes. To them, I say: we will not stop until the mission is accomplished.