WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Governor Rick Scott spoke with President Donald Trump regarding the importance of fixing the federally operated Herbert Hoover Dike. Following their conversation, President Trump committed to fixing the dike. Earlier this week, Governor Scott urged the Florida Senate and Florida House to allocate $200 million in state funds to help fix the federally operated dike. This followed the Governor’s announcement that the Trump Administration committed $1.5 billion in LIP funding to Florida, which was nearly a billion more than the Obama Administration. These additional funds mean more funding is available to invest in key items like the environment.
Governor Scott said, “Today, I spoke with President Trump on the importance of fixing the federally operated Herbert Hoover Dike and he committed that his administration would help provide the resources to do that. President Trump is clearly focused on protecting Florida’s environment and investing in our infrastructure, and I want to thank him for partnering with us to solve the water issues around Lake Okeechobee by fixing the dike.
“While I called on President Obama multiple times throughout his administration to step up and fulfill the federal government’s funding commitment to fixing the dike, it never happened. Today, President Trump is fighting for Florida’s families and this news is a big win for our state. My goal is for the dike to be completely repaired by 2022, and I look forward to continuing to work with the Trump Administration to complete this important project. With this commitment from the president, I hope that the Florida Legislature will immediately allocate $200 million in the budget they send me to help fix the dike.”