Following is a statement from U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) on President Trump’s newly-released budget proposal that would require Florida taxpayers to pay $200 million to speed up work on the Herbert Hoover Dike surrounding Lake Okeechobee:
“The Trump administration wants Floridians to pay $200 million to speed up work on the Lake O dike. That’s absurd. Floridians shouldn’t have to pay a dime to finish the dike, Congress just gave the Army Corps all the money it needs to fully fund this project and get it done by 2022.”
The president’s proposal that would force Floridians to contribute $200 million towards the federal project comes just days after Congress approved a massive disaster funding bill that gave the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers $10.4 billion to use on projects such as the dike – more than enough to cover the $776.4 million the Corps says it needs to finish the project by 2022.
