2025 Landmark Agreement

On July 18, 2025, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the State of Florida and the U.S. Department of the Army reached a landmark agreement to accelerate Everglades restoration, including the “crown jewel” of Everglades restoration—the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir.

The EAA Reservoir, located south of Lake Okeechobee, will store over 78 billion gallons of water—larger than Manhattan—and deliver up to 470 billion gallons of clean water annually to the Everglades and Florida Bay. It also supports the Biscayne Aquifer, the primary source of drinking water for South Florida.

For decades, Florida’s water system was altered to prevent flooding, but at the cost of cutting off the natural flow of water to the Everglades. This project is designed to correct that—redirecting water south, restoring ecosystems, and significantly reducing harmful discharges to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries.

The new agreement between Florida and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will:

• Accelerate the EAA Reservoir’s construction timeline by five years—from 2034 to 2029.
• Authorize Florida to construct the inflow pump station, along with other supporting features, enabling the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to focus on the main reservoir basin at the EAA Reservoir Project.
• Allow Florida to assume responsibility for the Blue Shanty Flow Way, a vital system to deliver clean water south across the Tamiami Trail and into Florida Bay.
• Enable Florida to manage future CERP projects, through expedited permitting and updated federal memoranda of understanding.
• Cut federal red tape and redirect resources to fast-track critical restoration efforts.

This announcement included the formal signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between the State of Florida and Department of the Army which is implemented through a Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and the South Florida Water Management District. These agreements reflect a shared commitment between Florida and the U.S. Army to get the job done and done right.

To view the MOU, click here.
To view the MOA, click here.

Successes since the agreement was signed:

• State of Florida groundbreaking of the Blue Shanty Flow Way, a crucial component of Everglades restoration in September 2025.
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ribbon cutting to celebrate the completion of an important component of the EAA Reservoir Project in September 2025.

Check back frequently for updates.