President Donald Trump will be in Florida this week to promote work on the Herbert Hoover Dike around Lake Okeechobee and a reservoir in the Everglades Agricultural Area, the White House confirmed Tuesday.
Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere tweeted that Trump is slated to “visit Lake Okeechobee Friday to tout work on dike repair, EAA reservoir.” The tweet linked to a report by TCPalm that Trump would be in Florida to highlight the work.
Trump is expected to spend the weekend at his Palm Beach resort Mar-a-Lago, based on a Federal Aviation Administration advisory.
Two weeks ago, environmentalists and some of Trump’s high-profile supporters criticized his proposed budget for not including enough money for Everglades restoration. On March 13, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney, R-Fla., issued a news release saying the White House budget request “failed to include sufficient funding for Everglades restoration” efforts. In February, Rubio and Scott joined Gov. Ron DeSantis in urging Trump to provide $200 million a year for Everglades restoration.
In 2017, Scott, as governor, signed into law a bill pushed for former Senate President Joe Negron that allows Florida to bond up to $800 million for a reservoir intended to help shift water south from Lake Okeechobee. The state anticipates the federal government matching the funding.
Source: News Service of Florida