The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and the State of Florida continue to dedicate hundreds of millions of dollars a year to make steady progress on restoring the greater Everglades ecosystem and providing flood protection for 8.1 million residents in South Florida. The SFWMD Governing Board is requesting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) meet its obligations to pay the federal share of costs for these important priorities for the region.
In a series of letters sent to SFWMD Executive Director Ernie Marks in April, USACE officials stated that no federal cost-share funds will be available in Fiscal Year 2018 for operation, maintenance, repair, replacement and rehabilitation activities for the following restoration projects:
- Modified Water Deliveries
- Indian River Lagoon-South
- Melaleuca Eradication
- Picayune Strand Restoration
- Site 1 Impoundment
With the exception of Modified Water Deliveries, all of these projects are part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). CERP is a framework for restoring, protecting and preserving the greater Everglades ecosystem. The plan is a 50-50 partnership between Florida and the federal government.
Read the letters:
- Letter from SFWMD Governing Board Member Dan O'Keefe Re: Federal Funding Request for Operations, Maintenance, Repair, Replacement and Rehabilitation Costs – May 10, 2018 [PDF]
- Letter from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Re: FY2018 Federal Cost-Share Funding for CERP Projects – April 30, 2018 [PDF]
- Letter from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Re: FY2018 Federal Cost-Share Funding for Modified Water Deliveries Project – April 25, 2018 [PDF]
- Letter from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Re: FY2018 Federal Cost-Share Funding for Modified Water Deliveries Project – April 9, 2018 [PDF]