Jesse Scheckner
Spending that Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to clean up the waters of Biscayne Bay has support in both chambers of the Legislature. They just haven’t agreed on where to get it.
DeSantis’ February budget proposal for the 2025-26 fiscal year included a $20 million earmark for wastewater and storm water projects around the bay.
Those projects, paid with nonrecurring funds, would help address water quality impairment and coral reef restoration.
The House, led by Speaker Daniel Perez, a Miami Republican whose district sits inland from the bay, wants to fully fund the endeavor using nonrecurring dollars from the state’s general revenue fund. The Senate, meanwhile, prefers to draw the money from a state trust fund.
Biscayne Bay is a vital habitat for myriad endangered species, from the American crocodile, bobcat, roseate spoonbill and peregrine falcon to the West Indian manatee, least tern, Schaus’ swallowtail butterfly and five sea turtle species.
It also supports the livelihoods of many locals, including professional fishers and a robust tourism market, including PortMiami, Miami-Dade County’s second-biggest economic engine behind Miami International Airport.
But in recent years the water body’s health has steeply declined, evidenced by deadly algal blooms and fish kills — including one last year — that prompted the county to take more corrective action, seek restoration funding and raise fines for polluters, among other steps.
Much of the problem stems from stormwater runoff — rainwater from developed land that flows into the bay, carrying pesticides, fertilizer and other pollutants — and wastewater spills from Miami-Dade’s aging sewage system and hundreds of thousands of failure-prone septic tanks.
The bay has also seen an influx of invasive species that are wreaking havoc on its native flora and fauna. Among them: the imported red fire ant, black spiny-tailed iguana, lionfish, cane toad and the Burmese python, which is so destructive Florida holds a yearly contest that pays $10,000 to the person who kills or removes the most snakes.
DeSantis and lawmakers have prioritized Biscayne Bay restoration efforts, setting aside $52 million through 2022 and $40 million since through a pair of $20 million apportionments in 2023 and 2024.
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Editor’s note: This report has been updated to reflect support in both the House and Senate for providing the full $20 million state apportionment for Biscayne Bay cleanup projects in the coming budget.
