A dozen members of the Florida delegation are backing U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar‘s, R-Fla., proposal which “incentivizes retired Navy…

Fellow Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Mast largely praised the plan earlier this week. Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Steube says he…

“More than 7 million Floridians and thousands of businesses tied to tourism, agriculture, healthcare and construction depend on water supply from Lake Okeechobee, and expected that LOSOM would result in a plan that meets the water supply purpose by restoring the water supply purpose by restoring the water supply performance that existed prior to the current schedule. In addition to seeking assurances from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that the Preliminary Preferred Plan CC can be optimized to meet the lake’s project purposes, we are also concerned that without such changes, Plan CC will result in significantly higher volumes of harmful Lake Okeechobee discharges to the Caloosahatchee River.”

“Protecting Lake Okeechobee is vital to ensuring that people who depend on the Lake have access to safe and reliable drinking water and that our agriculture industries around the Lake have the adequate water for their crops to feed our state and our nation. Agriculture is one of the three largest drivers to Florida’s economy and any negative impact to agriculture will affect the entire state’s economy. Many of those families have farmed for generations and a Lake regulation schedule that does not take into account their legitimate needs would harm Floridians.”

“Especially as we approach another hurricane season, Casey Key’s restoration efforts will be critical in achieving long-term coastal resilience in Sarasota County. These coastal resilience efforts will serve our environmental and economic interests for decades to come, and our team is committed to working with all of our federal, state and local partners to help advance these efforts.”

“I am honored to work with my colleagues to support new initiatives to reduce harmful algal blooms in Lake Okeechobee and our coastal communities. These bills will build on our previous progress and make new strides in protecting our waterways while promoting recreation, tourism, and environmental interests.”

“Okeechobee County’s priorities like telehealth expansion, water quality issues, and public health have remained major focuses for our team, both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. I was honored to update the Chamber this morning on what we are doing at the federal level to advance these priorities and protect our values.”

“Water is the lifeblood of Florida with our thriving ecosystem offering vital resources for our local economies, agriculture, tourism and recreation. As we are no strangers to harmful algal blooms and the negative effects they have on our water quality, this bipartisan legislation takes an important step in prioritizing Florida’s environment despite ongoing partisan gridlock in Washington.”

“Cleaning up this sewage spill and taking extra steps to prevent future problems is of paramount importance to our communities and environment. At all levels of government, our united goal is a reliable wastewater system to ensure these problems are not repeated in Longboat Key or elsewhere. I look forward to working with my local, state and federal colleagues to ensure that our community has the resources and federal grants necessary to prevent further extensions or delays.”

“It was an honor to celebrate this tremendous victory for Florida’s environment and infrastructure. As the first state to receive approval to administer the CWA 404 program in over 25 years and only the third state in 43 years, this is a historic accomplishment. With this increased flexibility for permitting, Florida will now have new capabilities to build and maintain our infrastructure while protecting Florida’s water quality and environmental interests.”

“Florida’s fisheries and aquatic ecosystems are an important part of our diverse and thriving environment, and this aquarium will be a model in how to take vital marine science research information and make it accessible and translatable to the general public. Educating future generations will ensure lasting success for our fishery, coastal, and inland ecosystems.”

“Our local infrastructure is key to maintaining safe and clean water. This is a massive achievement for our state and Charlotte County and is an incredible step towards cleaner water for Floridians. I look forward to working with these dedicated local officials and nonprofit organizations to fulfill our shared goals moving forward.”