The Picayune Strand Restoration Project in Collier County, Florida, has been completed, marking a significant milestone for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). The project is the result of collaboration between the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), along with other federal, state, and local partners.
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 said: “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. It involved removing 260 miles of roads and plugging 48 miles of canals to restore natural water flow in wetlands areas.
Environmental benefits include improved habitats for fish and wildlife such as the Florida Panther; restored wetlands; reduced drainage impacts on sensitive ecosystems; improved aquifer recharge; protection against saltwater intrusion; better freshwater management for downstream estuaries; as well as enhanced water quality.
The project will also improve water flows into Collier Seminole State Park—one among over 175 parks overseen by DEP—and protected areas like Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge.
The DEP serves as Florida’s main agency for environmental management—overseeing air quality standards, land conservation efforts such as park stewardship across the state, regulating waste management practices statewide while providing permits for environmental projects.
Since 2019 more than 80 CERP-related projects have reached major milestones or been completed through joint efforts between USACE and SFWMD.
Other recent achievements under CERP include celebrating its 25th anniversary; completion or initiation on projects like Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands Project in Miami-Dade County; groundbreaking on infrastructure such as EAA Reservoir Inflow Pump Station in Palm Beach County; launch events like Blue Shanty Flow Way southward into Florida Bay; start-up operations at Caloosahatchee Reservoir in Hendry County; plus an agreement accelerating EAA Reservoir construction by five years.
According to official sources, DEP supports building resilient communities through restoration initiatives while safeguarding air, water, land resources statewide from its headquarters in Tallahassee.
The Picayune Strand Restoration Project was initiated under a partnership agreement signed in 2009 between USACE and SFWMD as part of CERP.
