News

Miami, FL — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) applauded the announcement by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District that it had awarded four construction contracts, totaling more than $81 million, for ecosystem restoration in South Florida. The construction projects include the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands, Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) South, and Picayune Strand Restoration Projects, which are components of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). Rubio led the effort to authorize the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) in 2016, and secured its modification to include the EAA project in 2018.
 
In 2019, Rubio secured $200 million in fiscal year (FY) 2020 federal appropriations for Everglades restoration through his role on the Senate Committee on Appropriations. This year, Rubio coordinated with President Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and the Florida Congressional Delegation to ensure the President’s budget contained a record $250 million request for Everglades restoration. Rubio looks forward to securing this record funding amount as the Senate moves to consider FY21 appropriations. 
 
“Everglades restoration must be at the heart of any long-term solution to stabilize Florida’s economy,” Rubio said. “I am grateful to my colleagues, the administration, and the Corps for their continued commitment to this critical work. With each new project we are one step closer to delivering on that long-standing promise to the people of Florida, but there is still much work to be done.”
 
“Our most immediate challenge is to reverse the faulty decision by the Army Corps to delay construction of the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) reservoir on a bureaucratic technicality,” Rubio continued. “I will continue to work with my colleagues and the administration to ensure this project is not further delayed.”
 
Background on Rubio’s efforts to fix Florida’s water quality issues and restore the Everglades can be found here.