Everglades Restoration

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Florida finalized the deal Tuesday that allows the state to take control of completing a flow-way that moves more freshwater into Florida Bay.

Washington is funneling more than $2 billion to the Army Corps of Engineers' Jacksonville office to speed up completion of a massive reservoir being built south of Lake Okeechobee by more than five years.

Gov. DeSantis says the state can expedite the massive restoration effort. Some environmentalists wonder whether costs will climb and environmental regulations will be ignored.

The proposed House budget would cut Everglades and water quality efforts by almost $500 million.

The proposed legislation comes as Gov. Ron DeSantis initiates a DOGE-like cost-cutting effort and suggests Florida should take over Everglades restoration from the federal government.

Growing research suggests that “black snow,” a byproduct of the sugarcane harvest, is harming residents’ health. The politically powerful sugar growers say the air quality meets standards.

The Everglades Coalition Conference includes a series of panels looking at progress and what lies ahead. Attendees celebrated the durability and "all-in" attitude of the group, but also looked at setbacks.

He said he will ask President-elect Donald Trump to give Florida authority over federal money. The proposed 2025-26 state budget includes $805 million for Everglades restoration and $330 million for targeted water quality projects.

For decades, largescale engineering projects for development and agriculture drained and partitioned south Florida's Everglades, a vast wetlands landscape home to endangered and threatened species and a vital source of drinking water for millions of Floridians. A plan approved by Congress in 2000 has aimed to undo some of the damages, but development, water quality and climate change are ongoing challenges.

For Florida’s Native American tribes, the watershed is sacred. A new National Academies report says the federal and state agencies guiding Everglades restoration can learn a lot from them.

Instead of prioritizing flood control above all else, the strategy is designed to balance all the needs of the watershed. “This plan marks a cultural shift on the part of the Army Corps of Engineers.”

The Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual — LOSOM , a set of guidelines on how, when, and where water will be released from Lake Okeechobee — was made official this week