MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday focused on the environment during a visit to Miami-Dade County.
The governor highlighted progress on the Everglades Restoration Project, which started two years ago and is scheduled to be completed next January, according to DeSantis.
"That will improve the volume of water flowing south through the Everglades and support reducing harmful discharges from Lake Okeechobee to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries," DeSantis said.
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The project is removing more than five miles of roadbed -- the foundation for railroad tracks -- from Old Tamiami Trail.
"The completion of this project is gonna put us one step closer to restoring America's Everglades," said Chauncy Goss, the chairman of the South Florida Water Management District's governing board.
The Everglades Restoration Project is a partnership between the Florida Department of Transportation, Florida Department of Emergency Management, National Parks Service, and other federal agencies.
DeSantis has proposed around $730 million in his latest budget for Everglades restoration and water infrastructure improvements. That funding, however, still needs to be approved by the Florida Legislature.
"We continue to make progress. We set a lot of ambitious goals. We're meeting those goals. We're exceeding those goals in many respects," DeSantis said.