MARCO ISLAND, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Friday that the State of Florida and the Department of the Army have reached a new agreement to accelerate the restoration of the Everglades and to expedite the completion of the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir.
During a news conference in Marco Island, DeSantis said the agreement means there will be projects in the EAA that will be completed by the State of Florida on behalf of the Army Corps, with the use of allocated federal funds.
“It will allow us to accelerate the commitment and the investment in the project to ensure that we’re not waiting until 2034, that actually we’re going to get it done five years earlier in 2029, and so that is a big, big difference in terms of what we’re doing,” DeSantis said. “The good thing is, this project is authorized. It’s funded. It’s under construction.”
RELATED | Gov. DeSantis celebrates dam completion as part of Everglades’ restoration efforts
The agreement also allows Florida to provide support to the ongoing construction of the Main Basin and step in if those vendors don’t get the job done.
“I think that people are going to be very pleased to see the accelerated progress,” DeSantis said.