Florida is going to have to kick in some cash if it wants federal dollars to speed up repairs on the Herbert Hoover Dike around Lake Okeechobee. That’s according to President Donald Trump’s proposed budget.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is halfway through a massive renovation scheduled to wrap up in 2025. But Gov. Rick Scott wants it done by 2022.
To do that, the Corps would need $200 million a year. President Trump’s budget provides $96 million along with another $66 million if the state kicks in $50 million.
The governor already got $50 million from the legislature last year.
He calls the president’s proposal quote “great news for Florida.”
Sen. Bill Nelson calls it “absurd” saying the Corps of Engineers has enough money in its budget to finish the Lake O’ dike ahead of schedule.
Lake Okeechobee is the second-largest freshwater lake in the continental U.S.