Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a groundbreaking in Palm Beach County for an inflow pump station tied to the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) reservoir and described a state–federal agreement that he said empowers Florida to build certain reservoir components on behalf of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to accelerate construction.

The pump station is an "essential component" of the EAA reservoir, the governor said, noting the station will have nine pumps and the capacity to move about 3,000,000,000 gallons of water per day from Lake Okeechobee into the reservoir. "By taking on construction of the pump station, the state is enabling the Army Corps of Engineers to focus on building the main reservoir basin," Alexis Lambert, secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, said.

Why it matters: Officials said the 10,000-acre EAA reservoir will store excess water and send it to an adjacent 6,500-acre stormwater treatment area where it will be cleaned and delivered south to nourish the Everglades and Florida Bay. DeSantis said the project will provide an additional 370,000 acre-feet of clean water to the ecosystem each year and help reduce harmful discharges to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries.

State–federal agreement: DeSantis and other speakers credited a landmark agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for speeding work. "Under this new agreement, Florida is now empowered to complete work on behalf of the army and federal government," DeSantis said, adding the arrangement gives the state funds and authority to execute projects and that the Corps has pledged to expedite permits and remove red tape. Officials said the agreement allows the state to construct inflow and outflow pump stations and auxiliary features while the Corps focuses on the main reservoir basin, and that the accelerated schedule could complete key projects by 2029 rather than later dates previously cited.

Scale and schedule: Drew Bartlett, executive director of the South Florida Water Management District, said the pump station's 3,000,000,000-gallons-per-day capacity is roughly three times the combined water-supply systems from Miami to Kissimmee (which he described as about 1,100,000,000 gpd). Bartlett credited rapid procurement and said the pump station was put out for bids about two weeks after the agreement was signed.

Funding and outcomes claimed: DeSantis said the state has invested more than $8,000,000,000 in water-quality and Everglades restoration work since 2019 and cited reductions of about 750,000 pounds of nitrogen and roughly 500,000 pounds of phosphorus in South Florida waterways from recent efforts. He and other speakers said projects completed or accelerated under state direction have delivered results, including Florida Bay meeting salinity goals for the first time in decades.

Project components and other work: Officials described other related projects — including the Blue Shanty Flowway and work to raise portions of the Tamiami Trail to improve flow through Everglades National Park — as complementary pieces that will help the EAA reservoir maximize environmental benefits. Anna Upton, chief executive officer of the Everglades Trust, said the agreement and state emphasis on expedited schedules were central to reaching the day's milestone.

Other notes: DeSantis mentioned ongoing invasive Burmese python removal efforts and private incentives tied to that work. He also said the state will release its next fiscal-year budget likely in early December and that support for Everglades restoration will continue.

What officials did and did not say: Speakers described the state's authority under a signed agreement with the Army Corps to construct certain EAA components and to receive federal funds for that work. They did not present a formal federal vote or rulemaking record at the event; specific federal permit decisions and remaining project completion dates beyond officials' statements were not provided at the site.