The Florida House and Senate have reached an agreement to pay for a reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee to curb future discharges.
The deal is part of an $83 billion state budget and is a priority for Senate President, Republican Joe Negron of Stuart, in the wake of last year's toxic algae crisis. The House still needs to pass the bill to enact the plan, but the speaker expects that to happen.
It's unclear whether the chambers have agreed to fund Governor Rick Scott's request for $200 million in funding to help the feds repair the dike around the lake, which he says would finish the job by 2022...three years earlier than currently projected.
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