$514 million more taxpayer dollars go to fix Lake Okeechobee dike

Cleaning up the Everglades has been a contentious issue for years. One side of the debate wants to buy up private land to help filter the nutrient-filled water before it hits some key waterways and the Everglades itself, while the other side has been taking incoming fire for allegedly mucking up the water to begin with.

The pollution of the Everglades is caused by everyone, not just one agricultural industry like Big Citrus or Big Sugar.

To many Floridians, the ongoing repairs to the existing drainage system around Lake Okeechobee  seems to be taking forever.

The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, who is tasked with making sure the Herbert Hoover Dike around the lake is in working order, has just announced that the dike's current repair project will be completed a full three years early. The Corps initially said that the dike would be repaired by 2025, but have now come out with a revised completion date of 2015.

Both Republican and Democratic politicians excited about the new completion date. Congressman Alcee Hastings (D), whose congressional district encompasses a huge swath of land south of Lake Okeechobee, is gleeful that the Corps set aside another $524 million to help speed up the repair process.