Gov. Rick Scott discussed his plans for Everglades restoration at a stop in Fort Myers on Wednesday.
When asked for his take on whether or not Florida should pick up land in Hendry County for Everglades restoration, Scott said the state should focus on finishing current Everglades projects.
“I want to finish C-43 and C-44 treatment areas. I want to continue funding the Kissimmee River project and then we’ve got to look for more storage area,” Scott said. “When we finish 43 and 44 that’s about 100 billion gallons of water storage, but that’s not going to be enough. So, we need to continue to work with our water management districts to look for more land. But right now, let’s finish these projects.”
The land in question would move water south from Lake Okeechobee. Environmentalists say a reservoir could be built on the land to store water.
The South Florida Water Management District has an option to buy the land. That option expires in October.
Scott also said he wants some of the money from Amendment One to become a dedicated funding source for Everglades restoration. He said that would come out to about $5 billion over the next 20 years.
