Gov. Ron DeSantis first task after dropping from race? Support Everglades restoration

In his first official act since dipping out of the 2024 presidential race, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the filling of the first cell of the 6,500-acre stormwater treatment area that's part of the Everglades Agricultural Area reservoir.

DeSantis spoke to the crowd of nearly 300 people for a few minutes, helped cut the ribbon with ceremonial oversized scissors and then watched as South Florida Water Management District staff switched on four electric pumps to begin filling the STA with water.

He left shortly after without making any political comments or answering any media questions.

The STA is an important component of a larger system to clean water from Lake Okeechobee as it flows south to the Everglades and Florida Bay. It will be paired with the EAA Reservoir, larger than the island of Manhattan, and filled with 27 feet of water from the lake more than 20 miles to the north.

“The EAA Reservoir is the crown jewel of Everglades restoration, ensuring that we are sending water south and reducing harmful discharges into our waterways," DeSantis said. "The opening of this stormwater treatment cell is a key milestone in the EAA Reservoir project and will help ensure the health of the Everglades for generations to come."

The construction project began in 2020. The first cell was completed in 2023. It includes:

• 6,500 total acres, or a larger area than all Florida's theme parks combined

• $288 million cost

• Will clean water moved from the EAA Reservoir (to be completed in 2032) to the Everglades

• Construction is overseen by the SFWMD

• It is being built on a former sugarcane farm

• The remaining STAs are expected to come online by this summer

When complete, the EAA Reservoir can be filled and emptied several times a year. That means the reservoir and STA can send between 270 billion to 470 billion gallons of clean, freshwater to the Everglades and Florida Bay per year. The EAA Reservoir will have a storage capacity of approximately 78 billion gallons of water, said SFWMD spokesperson Randy Smith.

The EAA Reservoir is expected to cost about $3 billion. It's expected completion was recently pushed from 2028 to 2032 by the Army Corps of Engineers overseeing its construction.

An independent science review by the National Academies in 2022 questions whether the 6,500-acre STAs will be large enough to move most of the 78 billion gallons of water stored in the EAA Reservoir.

DeSantis has called for the investment of $3.5 billion in Everglades restoration and water quality improvements over the next four years. The Governor has already approved $1.6 billion in the current year budget and has proposed $1.1 billion in his Focus on Florida’s Future Budget proposal, according to a release from SFWMD.

Ed Killer covers the environment and outdoors for TCPalm. He can be reached at ed.killer@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Everglades restoration project gets boost from Gov. Ron DeSantis