Will $4B be enough for of Everglades restoration?

MIAMI — Massive and massively expensive, it’s been touted as the “crown jewel” of Everglades restoration, the key to unlocking every other project that will come after it. “It’s kind of the third rail of Everglades restoration.” In the simplest terms, the reservoir will become Florida’s largest above-ground pool. If the new project missed the mark, it’s possible the “crown jewel” of Everglades restoration might not work, or at least operate at projected capacity. And last year, when the Biden administration agreed to spend a record-breaking $1 billion on Everglades projects but didn’t allocate any for the reservoir, DeSantis railed against anything blocking his “number one priority.” His Republican allies, including U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and U.S. Rep. Brian Mast of Florida, accused the Biden administration of denying funding for the project because it was important to DeSantis. When then-Florida Senate president Wilton Simpson, now the state’s agriculture commissioner, called the reservoir a “mistake” and pushed forward a bill that could dilute funding for the reservoir with other restoration projects, DeSantis vetoed it.