Ocklawaha River restoration project sinks this Legislative Session

The bill to restore Ocklawaha River’s natural flow appears to be dead in the water.

The long-awaited environment project that’s been debated for decades passed in the House but failed to move through the Senate.

Friday is Sine Die, although the House and Senate will return for a Special Session to finish negotiations on the spending plan.

With a 107-3 vote, the House passed legislation (HB 981) from Rep. Wyman Duggan on March 4. 

The companion bill filed by Sen. Jason Brodeur sailed through the Committee process and has been ready to go to the full Senate floor since mid-February, but was never called to a final vote.

“The 2026 session demonstrated the best in politics and the worst in politics. The courage and commitment of Rep. Wyman Duggan and Sen. Jason Brodeur to tackle this vital regional restoration project got it positioned for success,” said Great Florida Riverway Trust Executive Director Margaret Spontak. Spontak added that the process “seemed unfair, even un-American,” since it wouldn’t get heard on the Senate floor.

Spontak and other environmental advocates were pushing to restore the river, arguing it could help bring manatees, uncover hidden springs and improve the water quality in the main tributary flowing into the state’s longest river, the St. Johns. 

“This will be something that we look back at decades from now as a crowning jewel of the state of Florida,” Rep. Lindsay Cross, a St. Petersburg Democrat and environmental scientist, said on the House floor.

The bill was also intended to fuel economic development by creating a grant program to support outdoor recreational activities. A new advisory council with representation from the local government would add oversight, as would the state.

But controversy centered around removing the Kirkpatrick Dam, which is also called the Rodman Dam. The dam was built in 1968 when a project to cut through Florida to create a barge canal from run coast to coast was in the works.

Gov. Ron DeSantis appeared to be against restoring the river to its natural flow when he was asked about it during a March 5 press conference. He previously vetoed $6.25 million for the Ocklawaha River project during the 2025 Legislative Session.

“A lot of people like the Rodman Dam. I used to represent Putnam County. I remember they would take me there and show me the Rodman Dam,” said DeSantis, alluding to his time as a Congressman. “So I’m just thinking to just pull the rug out of that, because it’s an important thing for the community, (are) there ways you can help the river without just doing that in a rash way?”

DeSantis said this month he vetoed the 2025 measure because he worried local residents would have a voice.

One of the small minority of naysayers on the House floor was Republican Rep. Judson Sapp, who represents Putnam County.

“One thing my community has had for generations is the Rodman Reservoir. It’s our place. It’s where people fell in love. It’s where kids learned to fish. It’s where even today some families still put food on the table. Many in my district do not have much, but what they do have, they cherish,” Sapp said.

“Rodman attracts tourists who come for world-class bass fishing. That matters. It matters for small business, for local jobs, and for a rural community that cannot afford to lose another thing.”