Everglades Restoration Timeline

Lake Okeechobee

Florida Legislature Enacts the Lake Okeechobee Protection Act (373.4595, Florida Statutes)

The state legislature directs FDEP, SFWMD, and Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) to establish programs to restore and protect Lake Okeechobee.  The Act directs the agencies to establish the Lake Okeechobee Protection Plan to provide an implementation schedule for achieving the TMDL established for the Lake (140 metric tons of phosphorous per year) by 2015.  The Act also includes several other programs and projects including the Lake Okeechobee Construction project.