Even after more than 10 years of the rehabilitation of Lake Okeechobee's Herbert Hoover Dike began, it's still not complete... and won't be for another decade.
And that's not OK with the President.
Donald Trump has instructed the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to speed up the completion of Lake O repairs, according to an announcement by the White House Thursday night.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is scheduled to complete a $1.7 billion renovation of the earthen berm in 2025, but Gov. Rick Scott has pressed for the project to be completed by 2022.
The White House announcement doesn’t specify a completion date or attach a specific dollar figure to the pledge, but says the administration will work closely with Scott to expedite work.
The 142-mile dike was completed 1930s after flooding from hurricanes in the 1920s killed nearly 3,000 people in the Glades.
The corps has determined the dike is at "high risk of failure and in need of repairs to address significant dam safety and stability issues.”
Completing it by 2022 would require Congress to approve about $200 million a year from 2019 to 2022, which is far more than the $50 million to $150 million that has been budgeted annually over the last decade.