U.S. Senator Marco Rubio has welcomed the Senate’s continued advancement of the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP), as well as three more Florida provisions included in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA).
Rubio voted yesterday in support of a procedural motion that passed the Senate, bringing the bill itself one step closer to final passage.
In the coming days, the Senate is expected to end debate on WRDA and proceed to a vote on final passage.
“ Anytime you have a water bill in Congress, Florida stands to be impacted in many ways, and that’s clearly the case this time with the Central Everglades Planning Project being further along in the process than ever before ,” said Rubio . “ We’re so close to getting this Everglades project passed for the first time, on either side of Congress, and I just hope politics won’t derail it here in the end.
“In addition to the Everglades project, I’m pleased this water bill will keep moving forward with three additional Florida measures I worked on with Chairman Inhofe. They will address storm and flood risks facing vulnerable coastal communities along the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, ensure another important Everglades project is able to move forward with a needed budget modification, and authorize an important study of flooding in Daytona Beach – all of which represent real progress for Florida, ” Rubio continued.
“With this bill, the long-beleaguered oystermen in Apalachicola Bay will have a chance to seek assistance through the Gulf Coast Oyster Bed Recovery Plan. A Port Everglades widening and dredging project will move forward, boosting our state’s economy and allowing us to seize the growing opportunities presented by the recent expansion of the Panama Canal, ” Rubio added.
On July 14, Rubio introduced the Assessing Coastal Areas to Assist States Act, which would authorize the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to perform an assessment of coastlines within the South Atlantic Division.
Ysterday, this bill was adopted into WRDA, which also includes an official government study to reduce hurricane and storm damage to Flagler County.