Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced a $389 million grant to help boost the protection to Florida's waterways and natural resources during a press conference in Brevard County.
Gov. DeSantis added that the grant includes $189 million for water quality improvements. The governor explained the grant process in his announcement.
"The legislature decided to put some of these water quality, water quality program in, and we get money from the Seminole tribe for the revenue share to put this in to where every year you would just have it earmarked that this would go to these grants," DeSantis said.
"There's, I think, about a three-month period where localities can apply for the grants, then it goes through the criteria that the legislature has enacted, and then the grants are selected and awarded," DeSantis continued. "We're happy to be able to do that. These are going to make a big difference across the state of Florida."
DeSantis also announced several specific grants as part of the initiative. They include:
- $100 million for the newly established Indian River Lagoon Protection Program
- $55 million to expand alternative water supply projects
- $25 million to the Caloosahatchee watershed grant program
- $20 million to support the Biscayne Bay water quality improvement program
"With today's awards, we've now invested nearly $500 million in water quality improvements in this area alone since I became governor in 2019. The selected projects will provide the community with funds to upgrade wastewater facilities, convert septic systems to sewer, and reduce harmful runoff into the Indian River Lagoon," DeSantis said.
DeSantis added that the projects will reduce harmful nutrients in the water.
"They are projected to remove more than 1.1 million additional pounds of nitrogen and 286,000 additional pounds of phosphorous each and every year. That's a big, big improvement," DeSantis said.
DeSantis also said he's proposing $550 million in the budget for the Florida Legislature to consider to continue advancing water quality improvements and $60 million to expand alternative water supply efforts.
"We have shown a commitment to being good stewards of the state's natural resources. We also realize how this contributes to our way of life and our economy," DeSantis said.
