The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection have announced the completion of the Picayune Strand Restoration Project in Collier County. This project is a key part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), which aims to restore America’s Everglades ecosystem.
Adam Telle, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, said, “Today we celebrated a significant step toward protecting Floridians from flood risk and restoring America’s Everglades. It is a great honor to be here as we mark the completion of the Picayune Strand Restoration Project, a cornerstone of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. Reducing flood risk to Floridians and completing rejuvenation of this natural wonder is a gargantuan challenge, the type that can only be successfully pulled off under the get-it-done leadership of President Trump and his Administration. The amount of time and effort that we are contributing to this project is extraordinary, and the result is a testament to the hard work of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, our partners with the State of Florida, and everyone involved in making today a reality.”
Alexis A. Lambert, Secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, stated, “Thanks to the support of Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature and their steadfast commitment to Everglades restoration, we are seeing what is possible when state and federal governments, along with our partners, commit to this work and follow through. This project is already improving water quality and wildlife habitat and helping ensure America’s Everglades are stronger for generations to come.”
Charlette Roman, SFWMD Governing Board Member and Chair of the Big Cypress Basin added, “Historic Achievement. Monumental Day. Collaboration at its finest! We have worked for decades to get to the finish line of this vital Everglades restoration project. I am enormously grateful to every single person who worked on this project every step of the way. The momentum we have seen under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis is truly amazing. In recent years, we have seen many large-scale projects come on-line, with more in the works. Only by working together with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and all of our federal, state and local partners and stakeholders can we accomplish these monumental feats of engineering, planning and construction. I am so proud to be a part of the critical effort to restore America’s Everglades and can finally say, we completed the Picayune Strand Restoration Project!”
The restoration covers 55,000 acres between Alligator Alley and Tamiami Trail in Southwest Florida. The work included removing 260 miles of roads and plugging 48 miles of canals to restore natural water flow in wetlands areas.
The project will improve water flows into Collier Seminole State Park, Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, and Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.
Environmental benefits include restored wetlands that contribute significantly to Southwest Florida’s landscape; improved habitats for fish and wildlife such as the Florida Panther; reduced drainage from sensitive ecosystems; enhanced aquifer recharge that helps protect underground water supplies; prevention against saltwater intrusion; reduced freshwater releases; and better health for downstream estuaries.
These outcomes align with efforts by agencies like the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, which serves as Florida’s lead agency for environmental management—protecting air, water, land resources statewide while overseeing more than 175 state parks—and supporting resilient communities through restoration initiatives.
Other recent milestones under CERP include marking its 25th anniversary; completing major projects like Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands Project; breaking ground on infrastructure such as EAA Reservoir Inflow Pump Station in Palm Beach County; starting up Caloosahatchee (C-43) Reservoir in Hendry County; launching Blue Shanty Flow Way in Miami-Dade County; signing an agreement between Florida’s government and USACE accelerating reservoir construction timelines by five years.
Since 2019 more than 80 Everglades restoration projects have been completed or reached major milestones through partnerships among state agencies including the DEP.
