This morning, I spoke before the House Committee on Natural Resources in support of my bill, H.R. 9017, the Restore Florida Water Independence Act of 2026.
In 2024, a federal district court in Washington, D.C., stepped in and stripped Florida of its rightful, state-level authority to handle Section 404 wetland permits.
Since then, our state’s safety projects, habitat restoration, and critical infrastructure have been stuck in federal bureaucracy, burdened with delays of 18 months or longer.
My bill puts Florida back in charge and restores permitting authority to those best equipped to protect our state’s natural resources: Floridians.