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The money was included in a 2023 budget unveiled Monday.
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House and Senate negotiators finished reaching agreement Thursday, though a missed deadline will force the legislative session to extend until Monday for the votes.
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The money will be used for restoration projects that have dragged on for years, including building a reservoir and undoing damage from old bridges built in the Everglades.
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It's the latest attempt by lawmakers sympathetic — or beholden — to the sugar industry to give it and the agricultural industry the key to the Everglades’ huge spigot by guaranteeing “existing legal users” continue to receive a huge amount of the water.
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Friends of the Everglades Executive Director Eve Samples says the measure boils down to "manipulation of the new Lake Okeechobee plan."
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WMFE environmental reporter Amy Green discusses the link between the Everglades and struggling manatees.
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The money will be used to hasten efforts to undo the damage the Everglades suffered in the early 1900s.
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Nearly $1 billion in the governor’s budget is earmarked for the Florida environment, including water quality improvements, the Everglades restoration, and red tide.
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Gov. Ron DeSantis touched on a variety of topics, including education, water quality improvements, and proposed bonuses for law enforcement officers, during his State of the State address.
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"This is a huge, huge budget. This is a huge deal," DeSantis said of his proposal, which also includes pay raises and bonuses for teachers and law enforcement. It would need to be approved by the Florida Legislature.
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Gov. Ron DeSantis will ask legislators to consider $960 million in funds for the 2022-23 fiscal year to support resiliency efforts across the state.
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They include a requirement for out-of-state online retailers to collect sales taxes on purchases made by Floridians, and surveys to assess the “intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity” at state colleges and universities.