Florida - Sunday February 18, 2024: Governor DeSantis has awarded $20 million through the Biscayne Bay Water Quality Improvement Grant Program to strengthen ongoing efforts to restore water quality in Biscayne Bay. That's in addition to the $20 million already proposed in the 2024-25 Fiscal Year budget.
The money will be used to fund wastewater improvement projects, including septic-to-sewer programs, as well as pay for stormwater management and other projects that will help improve water quality in Biscayne Bay.
A list of all projects selected for Fiscal Year 2023-24 funding can be found here.
Since 2019, the state of Florida has invested more than $70 million for targeted water quality projects in the Bay.
“Biscayne Bay is Florida’s largest estuary and it has a direct connection to Florida’s Coral Reef,” said Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Shawn Hamilton. “Restoring this vital ecosystem is critical to not only ensure healthy fisheries, but also to safeguard the natural buffer along this populated coastline.”