Governor Ron DeSantis chose Earth Day to announce a massive amount of new funding for water quality projects in Florida.
"I have approved another $1.5 billion in Everglades restoration and water quality improvements. That's going to be really really meaningful."
The governor says that will total $6.5 billion that has been approved for water improvements during his time in office.
Over half of the new funding, $850 million, is going to Everglades projects. $614 million of it will support the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) and the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir. DeSantis says it's the largest state investment in a single year since CERP was established in 2000.
This funding is in addition to funding that was allocated in Senate Bill 1638, signed by the Governor earlier this month. Senate Bill 1638 allocates revenue from the Seminole Gaming Compact, directing 96% of the revenue generated to fund water quality improvement, infrastructure, and the continued conservation of lands.
The money will be available in the state's next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
DeSantis visited the Cox Science Center and Aquarium in West Palm Beach on Monday to make the announcement.
The governor also spoke out about pro-Palestinian/anti-Israel protests on college campuses that have led to arrests.
"If I were in charge, I would send the Justice Dept. after those universities because this is unacceptable."
The governor says the antisemitism that has been allowed to grow at schools like Columbia University and Yale is not just "bad speech." He says they're targeting Jewish students and bringing about a hostile environment that violates the civil rights of those students.
He says Florida has laws in place to keep these types of out-of-control protests from happening.