BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Gov. DeSantis announced on Monday that $100 million in state funding has been allocated for projects to restore the Indian River Lagoon.
The money is the first to be given through the newly established Indian River Lagoon (IRL) Protection Program, which was signed by DeSantis in January through executive order 23-06, which aims to “to further advance the protection of Florida’s environment and water quality,” according to the governor’s office.
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The money is slated to support 21 priority water quality projects that will reduce the amount of harmful nutrients entering the lagoon.
“Florida’s prized waterways draw visitors from across the world and are the foundation of our local economies,” DeSantis said in a statement. “We are advancing our efforts to protect the Indian River Lagoon through smart investments that will continue to preserve this waterway.”
The president of the Indian River Lagoon coalition in Brevard County called the announcement a big deal.
“We collect about $60 million just from the local sales tax and to have $100 million on top of that, it will allow us to do a lot of things a lot faster than what we had originally planned,” Craig Wallace said.
Brevard County voters approved a half-penny sales tax for ten years in 2016 to support restoring the lagoon.
Wallace told News 6 reporter James Sparvero he can see the impact from his pontoon boat along the Grand Canal in Satellite Beach.
“They’re in the middle of this project to remove an amazing amount of muck from this canal,” he said.
When asked how much more work needs to be done, Wallace said it’s hard to tell.
“all we know is we have a lot left to do, but we’ve made some significant impacts,” he said.
The Indian River Lagoon is the body of water wedged between the barrier islands of Florida’s eastern coast and its mainland. The 156-mile-long estuary is composed of three main bodies of water: the Banana River, the Indian River and the Mosquito Lagoon.
According to Florida State Parks, the IRL is considered one of the most biologically diverse estuaries in North America.
Another key highlight of the order is to secure $3.5 billion over the next four years for Everglades restoration and protection of water resources, including water quality and water supply.