Gov. Ron DeSantis funds $100 million of projects to benefit Indian River Lagoon
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday a combined $100 million was awarded to a suite of projects in the Indian River Lagoon Protection Program created in May. The awards will support 21 projects to improve water quality in the 156-mile long lagoon along Florida's Atlantic Coast.
In May at the Pelican Yacht Club in Fort Pierce, DeSantis signed House Bill 1379 contained within the state budget. He reinforced the state government's commitment to protect Florida’s environment including the IRL.
“Florida’s prized waterways draw visitors from across the world and are the foundation of our local economies. We are advancing our efforts to protect the Indian River Lagoon through smart investments that will continue to preserve this waterway,” DeSantis said via press release.
The Indian River Lagoon is:
A $7.6 billion economic engine annually
Home to 4,400 species of plants and animals
One of the most biologically diverse estuaries in North America
Spans 7 counties and 39 incorporated cities
With the addition of $100 million, the investment brings the state's contribution to Indian River Lagoon based funding to $390 million since 2019, when DeSantis took office, a record amount of lagoon funding.
Funded projects will reduce the amount of harmful nutrients entering the IRL, according to the press release. The legislation:
Creates the IRL Protection Program
Requires a comprehensive water quality monitoring program
Creates new requirements and prohibitions on septic systems within the IRL watershed
The protection plan will:
Expand eligibility requirements for the Wastewater Grant Program to include stormwater and agriculture. It will expand the geographic areas of eligibility to include all waterbodies that are not meeting water quality standards.
Strengthen Basin Management Action Plans by requiring local governments to identify projects that will help meet nutrient reduction goals and expand water quality protections from septic tanks and wastewater treatment facilities within BMAPs.
Improve local government long-term comprehensive planning to support environmental protection and restoration by requiring comprehensive plans to determine the feasibility of providing sewer over septic in certain areas and upgrading systems to advanced wastewater treatment.
One of the goals of the governor's plan will try to reduce total nitrogen loading in the IRL region by more than 375,000 pounds per year. Excess nutrients contribute to the increased frequency, duration and intensity of algal blooms and impact the growth of seagrass, which provide habitat and food for manatees and other species. From December 2021 to February 2023, more than 1,200 manatees died, the majority of which were in the IRL, from what researchers believed to be starvation from a lack of seagrass.
The governor has requested an additional $100 million for the IRL Protection Program in the 2024-2025 fiscal year.
Funding will benefit these Treasure Coast projects:
$5 million — City of Vero Beach wastewater treatment
$3.3 million — Hobart Landing septic to sewer, Indian River County
$7,425,000 — Orchid Island Estates septic to sewer, Indian River County
$1.7 million — St. Lucie Village septic to sewer, St. Lucie County
$400,000 — Golden Gate stormwater treatment, Martin County
Ed Killer is an outdoors writer for TCPalm. Email him at ed.killer@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Gov. Ron DeSantis funds $100 million in Indian River Lagoon projects
