Governor Ron DeSantis Directs $150 Million for Everglades Stormwater Treatment Areas and Reservoir Inflows

BELLE GLADE, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis and South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Chairman Chauncey Goss announced on Monday the distribution of $150 million in state environmental restoration capital to construct 6,500 acres of expanded Stormwater Treatment Area (STA) filtration marshes and build high-capacity automated inflow pump stations for the massive Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir project south of Lake Okeechobee.

The project is a cornerstone of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), using engineered shallow freshwater marshes populated with native sawgrass, cattails, and submerged aquatic vegetation to naturally absorb excess agricultural phosphorus nutrients before water flows south into Everglades National Park and Florida Bay.

Stopping Toxic Algae Discharges and Restoring Historic Sheetflow Historically, excess water from Lake Okeechobee was discharged through coastal canals into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries, causing severe toxic blue-green algae blooms that devastated coastal fisheries and local tourism. Cleaning water and redirecting it south restores the natural historic "River of Grass."

"Since my first day in office, restoring America's Everglades and protecting Florida's pristine waterways has been a top priority of our administration," Governor DeSantis said during an announcement along the EAA Reservoir in Palm Beach County. "We have invested over $5 billion in historic Everglades restoration funding. This $150 million investment builds the stormwater treatment marshes and pump stations needed to clean billions of gallons of water and send it south where nature intended, protecting our coastal estuaries from toxic algae and revitalizing the Everglades for future generations."

Restoration Engineering and Inflow Features The $150 million package funds:

• 6,500 Acres of Engineered Wetland Treatment Cells: Planting native submerged aquatic vegetation naturally extracting dissolved phosphorus down to 10 parts per billion.
• Two 2,000-CFS Electric Intake Pump Stations: Equipped with automated SCADA controls powered by high-efficiency motors to move water during summer storm surges.
• 18 Miles of Inflow Delivery Canals: Excavating wide, flat water conveyance channels connecting Lake Okeechobee outfalls to the treatment marshes.

Anglers, marine conservationists, and coastal business owners commended the governor's sustained funding focus, emphasizing that sending clean water south is vital to preserving Florida's coastal tourism and sportfishing economy.