For the Treasure Coast, clean water is not an abstract issue. It is our economy, our way of life, and the promise that our children will inherit the Florida we know and love.
That is why I measure progress in results, not press releases. This month, we can point to results in Washington and here at home.
A Bipartisan Win With Florida Priorities
The House passed the Water Resources Development Act of 2026 by a vote of 415 to 9. The bill includes the priorities I fought for on behalf of our community, including two amendments that were adopted.
The first requires the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to show its work when it conducts Lake Okeechobee recovery operations: why the gates were opened, where the water went, and what the environmental result was. Every drop should come with accountability.
The second puts the purpose of the 17,000-acre EAA Reservoir into the congressional record: send more water south and end harmful discharges. The bill also accelerates Indian River Lagoon and Lake Okeechobee watershed restoration and authorizes additional infrastructure in the southern Everglades.
Progress You Can See At Home
At the same time, Florida completed the $50 million C-23 Canal Estuary Discharge Diversion Project in Martin County. The project includes a new seven-mile canal and a pump station capable of moving 112,000 gallons per minute toward the C-44 Reservoir and stormwater treatment area instead of the St. Lucie Estuary.
During testing alone, it diverted 4.8 billion gallons away from the estuary. That is what progress looks like: fewer harmful discharges, better salinity in the St. Lucie, and a healthier Indian River Lagoon system.
The Mission Is Not Finished
We have come a long way since toxic algae devastated our community, but I will never confuse progress with mission accomplished. WRDA now moves to the Senate. I will keep pressing until these provisions become law and the infrastructure needed to send water south is complete.
Florida families should be able to trust that government is working toward a simple goal: clean water 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. I will keep fighting for that standard for the Treasure Coast and Palm Beaches.
Stand with me as we finish the clean-water mission and defend Florida’s future.