State budget deal includes money for Lake O reservoir

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. State legislative leaders say they have reached a deal over a new state budget that would include money for a controversial Lake Okeechobee reservoir.

House Speaker Richard Corcoran and Senate President Joe Negron on Tuesday brokered an agreement that spells out how much money will be spent in key areas. The details on many individual items will be worked out over the next few days.

An earlier House budget proposal didn’t include any money for the project that is a favorite of clean water advocates and many along the coasts but has drawn criticism from U.S. Sugar and leaders in agricultural communities around the lake.

The agreement between Negron, a key proponent of the reservoir, and Corcoran signals that House passage of a reservoir bill similar to the one that has already cleared the Senate is not far off.

Proponents say the reservoir would prevent water blamed for blue-green algae and brown muck from flowing into the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers. Those who oppose it worry the reservoir would be built on land they contend is necessary for farming.

Gov. Scott expressed support for the reservoir earlier this month, but he doesn’t back the idea of having the state take private property. The Senate reservoir bill entails the use of land that the state already owns but doesn’t rule out the purchase of private areas.

Captains for Clean Water CEO Daniel Andrews, a vocal advocate of the reservoir, contends it’s the only solution to Lake Okeechobee discharges. But the governor also called on state lawmakers to set aside $200 million to speed renovation of the Herbert Hoover dike that surrounds the lake.

Army Corps of Engineers spokesman John Campbell believes both the reservoir and a renovated dike are important pieces of the puzzle.

“None of those projects, in and of themselves singly, are the solution, but collectively they give us and water management districts more options in how water is moved and managed,” Campbell said.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.