WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Florida’s U.S. Senators Rick Scott and Ashley Moody sent a letter to the Acting Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, D. Lee Forsgren, asking for full consideration of ongoing and upcoming projects throughout Florida as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) finalizes its Fiscal Year 2025 Work Plan, which utilizes previously appropriated funding. In their letter, the Senators requested the USACE accelerate Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) projects, including the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration (SFER) program, end unnecessary delays of critical storm risk management projects, and prioritize projects that benefit Florida communities and the state as a whole.

Read the full letter HERE or below.

Dear Acting Assistant Secretary Forsgren:

Each year, the Work Plan must be submitted outlining how funds appropriated to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will be distributed. As you shape the planning and selection process for fiscal year 2025 projects, we urge you to give full and fair consideration to both ongoing and proposed projects in Florida, recognizing their importance to local communities, our state, and the nation as a whole.

Additionally, we expect that a significant portion of the funds be directed to accelerate construction of Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) projects. We ask that you continue utilizing the incremental funding clause authority across all projects in CERP, but particularly for the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration (SFER) program. Doing so would greatly speed up construction of those projects and drive down overall program costs.

Recent supplemental funding packages included funding for Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies (FCCE) and operations and maintenance. However, some of these resources remain unused due to the USACE's internal interpretation of Section 103 of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1986—an interpretation we do not support. This interpretation, which exists outside of clear Congressional direction and funding, continues to delay critical storm risk management projects, some of which have been active for decades. The 2024 WRDA provided a clear statutory direction to the USACE that allows for coastal storm risk management projects to be completed, notwithstanding the agency’s policy interpretation to the contrary. In light of this directive, we urge you to revisit the interpretation of WRDA 1986 as it pertains to shoreline easements and instruct the USACE to issue updated guidance that allows the use of FCCE funds to restore hurricane protection project footprints.

We look forward to working closely with your office, as well as USACE Headquarters, the South Atlantic Division, and the Jacksonville and Mobile Districts, to ensure that adequate funding is available for feasibility studies, preconstruction engineering and design (PED), and construction as needed throughout Florida.

We specifically support funding that enables the following projects to make meaningful and sustained progress toward completion:

• Brevard County, FL Shore Protection Project
• Broward County, FL Shore Protection Project 
• C&SF Project Flood Control Comprehensive Restudy – System-wide restudy proposed to improve the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of South Florida’s aging water management infrastructure in concert with concurrent efforts to enhance the region’s water management and resilience, including through CERP, LOSOM, and the South Atlantic Coastal Study
• Charlotte County, FL
• Choctawhatchee-Pea River Basin Study, Walton County, FL - Feasibility Study for (riverine) aquatic ecosystem restoration; initial funding $500K received to date
• Collier County, FL Beach Erosion Control Project 
• Dade County, FL Beach Erosion Control and Hurricane Protection Project
• Daytona Beach Flood Protection Project
• Duval County, FL Beach Erosion Control Project
• East Lake Tohopekaliga – Feasibility Study for Flood Risk Management and Environmental Restoration in WRDA 2024
• Flagler County, FL Coastal Storm Risk Management Project
• Flagler County, FL Back Bay and Shoreline Coastal Storm Risk Management
• Florida Keys, Monroe County, FL Coastal Storm Risk Management Project
• Florida Keys Water Quality Improvements
• Florida Spaceport System Marine Intermodal Transportation Wharf, FL (near Cape Canaveral, FL) – Feasibility Study for Navigation authorized in WRDA 2024
• Fort George Inlet – Feasibility Study authorized from CAP Authority in WRDA 2024
• Fort Pierce Beach, St. Lucie County, FL
• Jacksonville Harbor, FL Outer Channel Improvements 
• Key Biscayne Flood Risk Management Shoreline Protection Feasibility Study – Including consideration of an offshore wave attenuation feature.
• Kissimmee River, FL – Includes need for post-construction monitoring for recently-completed Kissimmee River Restoration Project
• Lake Conway – Feasibility Study for Flood Risk Management, Navigation, and Environmental Restoration authorized in WRDA 2024
• Lake Runnymede, FL Study - Feasibility Study for ecosystem restoration project authorized in WRDA 2022
• Lake Tarpon (C-351) and S-551 Rehabilitation, Pinellas County, FL
• Lake Tohopekaliga, FL Study - Feasibility Study for ecosystem restoration project authorized in WRDA 2022.
• Lee County, FL Beach Erosion Control
• MacDill Air Force Base – Feasibility Study for Environmental Restoration authorized in WRDA 2024
• Manatee Harbor, FL
• Martin County, FL Shore Protection Project
• Martin, St. Lucie, and Palm Beach Counties, FL – Includes wastewater infrastructure to improve water quality in the St. Lucie River, Indian River Lagoon, and Lake Worth Lagoon authorized in Section 8375 of WRDA 2022
• Miami Harbor Channel, FL – Payments owed to non-federal sponsor
• Miami-Dade Back Bay, Miami-Dade County, FL Coastal Storm Risk Management Project
• Miami-Dade County, Main Segment, Coastal Storm Risk Management
• Mile Point, FL – Payments owed to non-federal sponsor
• Nassau County, FL
• Northern Estuaries Ecosystem Restoration Study - Feasibility Study for ecosystem restoration project authorized in WRDA 2022.
• Okaloosa County, FL Coastal Storm Risk Management Project Palm Beach County, FL Beach Erosion Control Project - Design and Construction funded under DRSAA23
• Okeechobee County, FL – Includes wastewater infrastructure authorized in Section 8375 of WRDA 2022
• Orange County, FL – Includes wastewater infrastructure authorized in Section 8375 of WRDA 2022
• Palatka Barge Port – Feasibility Study for Navigation in WRDA 2024
• Palm Beach County, FL Shore Protection Project
• Panama City Harbor, FL – Section 204f study
• Pinellas County, FL Shore Protection Project 
• Pinellas County, FL Coastal Storm Risk Management Project
• Polk County, FL – Includes design and construction of wastewater and stormwater management infrastructure authorized in Section 8375 of WRDA 2022
• Port Everglades Harbor, FL
• Port Tampa Bay and McKay Bay, FL Study
• Putnam County Comprehensive Water Supply Infrastructure Modernization Project (Palatka, FL)
• Sarasota County, FL (Venice)
• Sarasota County, FL (Lido Key)
• Shingle Creek and Kissimmee River, Osceola County – Feasibility Study for ecosystem restoration project authorized in WRDA 2020
• South Dade Flood Protection Project – Study, design, and construction of a comprehensive seepage management solution along the boundary of the eastern Everglades to maintain current levels of flood protection service for landowners subjected to a rising water table
• South Florida Ecosystem Restoration, FL – To include:
• Biscayne Bay and Southeastern Everglades Ecosystem Restoration; Expedited Completion of Study Report in WRDA 2024
• Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands;
• Broward County Water Preserve Areas; Modifications to Feasibility for Expedited Completion in WRDA 2024;
• Canal 111 (C-111) South Dade (Design for features authorized in WRDA 2020); Modifications to Feasibility for Expedited Completion in WRDA 2024;
• C-111 Spreader Canal Western Project;
• Caloosahatchee River (C-43) West Basin Storage Reservoir;
• Central Everglades Planning Project;
• Indian River Lagoon-South;
• Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project; Expedited completion of Study Report in WRDA 2024;
• Loxahatchee River Watershed Restoration Project;
• Picayune Strand Restoration Project;
• Program Level Activities (PLA) Program Management;
• Program Management;
• Adaptive Assessment and Monitoring;
• Restoration Coordination and Verification (RECOVER);
• Interagency Modeling Center;
• Information and Data Management;
• Public Outreach;
• Southern Everglades Restoration Project; and
• Western Everglades Restoration Project
• St. Augustine Back Bay Study
• St. John’s County (St. Augustine), FL Shore Protection Project
• St. John’s County (Ponte Vedra Beach), FL Coastal Storm Risk Management
• St. John’s County (Summer Haven), FL Coastal Storm Risk Management
• St. John’s County (Vilano), FL Coastal Storm Risk Management
• St. John’s River and Lake Jesup – Feasibility Study for ecosystem restoration project authorized in WRDA 2020
• Tampa Back Bay, FL Study
• Tampa Harbor, Pinellas, and Hillsborough Counties, FL, (Deep Draft Navigation)
• Town of Longboat Key, FL Study
• Volusia County, FL Study – Expedited Completion for CSRM Feasibility in WRDA 2024
• City of Bunnell, Comprehensive Wastewater Supply Infrastructure project
• Broward County, FL — Covers water and water-related infrastructure, including stormwater management, water storage and treatment, surface water protection, and environmental restoration in Broward County, Florida, as authorized by Section 4367 of WRDA 2024
• Deltona, FL — Covers water and wastewater infrastructure in the City of Deltona, Florida as authorized by Section 4367 of WRDA 2024
• Longboat Key, FL — Covers water and wastewater infrastructure, including stormwater management, in the Town of Longboat Key, Florida as authorized by Section 4367 of WRDA 2024
• Marion County, FL — Covers water and water supply infrastructure, including water supply, in Marion County, Florida as authorized by Section 4367 of WRDA 2024
• Oviedo, FL — Covers water and waste- water infrastructure, including water storage and treatment, in the city of Oviedo, Florida as authorized by Section 4367 of WRDA 2024
• Osceola County, FL — Covers water and wastewater infrastructure, including water supply, and environmental restoration, in Osceola County, Florida as authorized by Section 4367 of WRDA 2024
• Central Florida — Covers for water and wastewater infrastructure, including water supply, in Brevard County, Orange County, and Osceola County, Florida as authorized by Section 4367 of WRDA 2024
• Walton County, FL

CONTINUING AUTHORITIES PROGRAM

• Lake Worth Lagoon, Palm Beach County, FL (Sec. 1135)

• North Fork St. Lucie River, FL (Sec. 1135)
• Cape Canaveral WWTP (Section 14)

OPERATIONS AND MAINTENACE

• Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, FL – Includes the Fernandina to St. Johns River, St. Johns River to Miami, and Miami to Key West segments
• Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, FL Norfolk to St. Johns, FL segments
• Anclote River, FL 
• Apalachicola, Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers, GA., AL & FL
• Apalachicola Bay, FL
•  Canaveral Harbor, FL
• Canaveral Harbor NOTU Dredging 
• Cedar Island, Keaton Beach, FL
• Central & Southern Florida, FL
• Clearwater Pass, FL
• East Pass Channel, Destin, FL 
• Escambia and Conecuh Rivers, FL & AL
• Everglades Harbor, Collier County, FL
• Fernandina Harbor, FL
• Fort Myers Beach, FL
• Fort Pierce Harbor, FL 
• Gulf Intracoastal Waterway – Includes the Florida portion of the Northern Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and the Western Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (Caloosahatchee River to Anclote River)
• Harmful Algal Bloom Demonstration Program – Lake Okeechobee
• Horseshoe Cove, FL
• Inspection of Completed Works, FL
• Jacksonville Harbor, FL
• Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam, Lake Seminole, FL, Ala. & Ga. – Includes need for shoreline management activities and enhanced aquatic plant control
• John’s Pass, FL
• Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual revision
• Manatee Harbor, FL 
• Miami Harbor, FL
• Naples to Big Marco Pass, Collier County, FL
• New Pass, FL
• Okeechobee Waterway, FL
• Palm Beach Harbor, FL
• Panama City Harbor, FL
• Pass-A-Grille, FL
• Pensacola Harbor, FL
• Ponce de Leon Inlet, FL
• Port Everglades Harbor, FL
• Port St. Joe Harbor, FL
• Project Condition Surveys, FL
• Removal of Aquatic Growth, FL
• St. Augustine Harbor, FL
• St. Johns River, FL
• St. Lucie Inlet Dredging
• St. Lucie Inlet – Southern Jetty Improvements
• Steinhatchee River, FL
• Suwannee River, FL
• Scheduling Reservoir Operations, FL
• South Florida Ecosystem Restoration, FL – Includes Congressionally authorized requirements for Federal cost share of O&M performed by the non-Federal sponsor, primarily the South Florida Water Management District
• Tampa Harbor, FL
• Water and Environmental Certification, FL

Thank you for your dedication, expertise, and diligence in working with stakeholders to protect and maintain Florida’s water resource infrastructure. Please consider the projects and policies outlined in this letter as you develop the Work Plan.

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