Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced $112 million in grant money to help Florida’s Gulf Coast and other waters around the state.
DeSantis announced the projects at a press conference in Tampa as he teased that he will be releasing his budget commendations soon. The new grants will do everything from focus on improving rivers and springs to fighting red tide.
About $50 million of that funding will be coming from 14 different alternative water supply grants to benefit the St. Johns River, the Suwannee River and other waterways. DeSantis called the projects “really significant,” adding that they will eventually produce 94 million gallons of water per day once they are fully operational.
DeSantis also highlighted $50 million for 23 projects targeting the state’s natural freshwater springs
“We have the best springs of anywhere in the country,” DeSantis said. “The spring sheds and water quality through wastewater upgrades will be improved. There’ll also be other enhancements. It’s going to reduce nitrogen just in those grants by 100,000 pounds per year in those springs. And that’s a really, really big deal.”
The grants also include $12 million going to fund state universities and counties to develop new technology to fight harmful algal blooms. Those 16 projects will be funded at the University of South Florida, University of Florida, University of Miami, Florida International University and Florida Atlantic University, as well as Polk and Seminole counties.
“We want to tackle that head on,” DeSantis said. “All of this stuff is really going to make a difference.”
The grant dollars are meant to protect the environment but will also play an economic role for the state, said Alexis Lambert, Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection.
“The projects awarded today include efforts to expand reclaimed water, improve aquifer recharge, and strengthen water conservation,” she said. “We must also care for our natural systems. Nowhere is that more evident than in our springs. The funding awarded today advances ongoing efforts to improve water quality, reduce nutrient pollution, and protect our spring sheds.”
