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MIAMI — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis visited Naples and Miami to announce his environmental budget proposals, including over $960 million for Everglades restoration and the protection of water resources and more than $550 million to continue to support efforts to ensure that state and local communities are prepared to deal with the impacts of sea level rise, intensified storms, and flooding.
“Thank you, Governor DeSantis, for recommending $660 million for America’s Everglades — the largest investment in the history of the program,” said Eric Eikenberg, Chief Executive Officer, Everglades Foundation. “Because of Governor DeSantis’ leadership, Florida’s one-of-a-kind environment and water resources will have the funding to be protected and restored. At the start of his term, Governor DeSantis pledged to seek at least $2.5 billion over four years in Everglades restoration and water resources in the state, and with this budget, he has delivered. This continued investment in America’s Everglades will not only help build critical water infrastructure that will advance the restoration of a national treasure, but it will create and save jobs, boost our state’s tourism-based economy, and yield tangible benefits for Floridians.”
“The Everglades is a national treasure, and the entire country is behind the movement to protect it,” said Capt. Daniel Andrews, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Captains For Clean Water. “With this record funding, Governor DeSantis is going far above the commitment he made when he took office to restore and protect the Everglades and Florida’s water resources. On behalf of the united voice of our anglers, fishing guides, boat captains, industry-related businesses, and the entire outdoor recreational community throughout the country, thank you for allowing Captains For Clean Water to become an active and welcome participant in safeguarding clean and usable waterways for all of Florida’s residents and visitors.”
“Governor DeSantis continues to deliver on his promise to achieve more now for Florida’s environment,” said Kellie Ralston, Vice President for Conservation and Public Policy with the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust (BTT). “Water quality is the cornerstone of our state’s iconic fisheries and the habitats that support them, and the Governor has made them a priority since his first days on the job. BTT strongly supports the Governor’s budget and looks forward to working with the Legislature this session to conserve Florida’s natural resources.”
“The Governor’s FY 2022-23 budget represents a promise kept for protecting Florida’s water resources and bold action on funding solutions to flooding in Florida,” said Noah Valenstein, former DEP Secretary and Senior Advisor for the American Flood Coalition. “Florida has serious flooding challenges to tackle but has a Governor who is serious about delivering solutions that can lead the nation on resilience funding and policy. By working with communities, the Resilient Florida Program will capitalize on environmental investments to reduce flooding and protect Florida’s water resources. The Governor and Secretary Hamilton have shown that Florida’s environment and economy are intertwined and that both can be protected by working together.”
“Audubon is grateful to the Governor for his steadfast commitment to funding Everglades restoration, and the impressive proposed investment in resiliency,” said Julie Wraithmell, Executive Director of Audubon Florida. “To ensure the health of Florida’s waters, we must restore our wetlands, springs, and Everglades, and change the underlying practices that harmed them in the first place, all while building resilience in the face of a changing climate. We’re excited to see what Florida can accomplish together with this essential funding.”
“Coming off yet another active hurricane season, Floridians across the state face the challenges of more frequent flooding and higher seas every day,” said Kate Wesner, Florida Director, American Flood Coalition. “With another historic investment dedicated to resilience, we applaud Governor DeSantis for his continued leadership on this urgent issue. These funds, coupled with the historic Always Ready legislation signed into law earlier this year, will help build a stronger, better prepared Florida.”
“Governor DeSantis’ 2022 budget proposal includes $550 million in new Resilient Florida funding and is an important step to continue to address the challenges Florida faces,” said Temperince Morgan, Executive Director, The Nature Conservancy in Florida. “A strong commitment to addressing climate change from the public, private, and non-profit sectors is the only way we will protect Floridians from sea-level rise and other impacts affecting our 1,400 miles of coastline and the communities that live along them.”
“The Governor’s pledge to nearly double state funding for the Resilience Florida grant program is tremendous,” said Dr. Jennifer Jurado, Chief Resilience Officer for Broward County. “These dollars will come at a critical time as local governments across our state are increasingly pressed to address the impacts of rising seas and increased flooding. Broward County’s Resilience Environment Department is encouraged by this announcement and recognizes the importance of sustained resilience funding and investments to preserving the quality of our communities and the robustness of our economies.”
“We are pleased to see Governor DeSantis’ proposal for continued historic investments to protect Florida from the impacts of climate change,” said Dawn Shirreffs, Florida Director, Environmental Defense Fund. “This continued investment in the Resilient Florida Program will help ensure our communities have the tools to deal with the challenges sea level rise and increased flooding pose.”
The press release for today’s announcement can be found here.
Details on the budget recommendations can be found here.
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