Mario Diaz-Balart
01/27/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/27/2026 15:48
Rep. Diaz-Balart to Attend Ribbon-Cutting Celebrating the Completion of the Picayune Strand Restoration Project After Years of Leadership on Everglades Restoration
Collier County, FL - On Wednesday, January 28, Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26), Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Everglades Caucus, will attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony commemorating the completion of the Picayune Strand Restoration Project, one of the largest wetland restoration efforts in the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP).
The Picayune Strand Restoration Project will restore natural water flows over an 85-square-mile area(~55,000 acres), improving the area's hydrology, allowing for the return of more balanced plant communities, increasing aquifer recharge, and sending fresh water to the coastal estuaries in a more natural manner.
Event Details:
WHO:
Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26)
Assistant Secretary of the Army Adam Telle
Major General Jason Kelly, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Colonel Brandon Bowman, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Alexis Lambert, Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Drew Bartlett, South Florida Water Management District
Rob Moher, President, Conservancy of Southwest Florida
WHAT:
Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for Picayune Strand Restoration Project at Miller Pump Station
WHEN:
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
1:00 p.m. ET
Media availability immediately following ribbon-cutting
WHERE:
Ceremony site at the Miller Pump Station
64thAve SE, Naples FL 34117
United States Army Corps of Engineers Picayune Strand Restoration
5233 Everglades Blvd S, Naples, FL 34117
Background:
Congress authorized the Picayune Strand Restoration Project in 2007 as part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP).
The South Florida Water Management District expedited construction by filling in and plugging seven miles of the Prairie Canal and completing approximately 25 percent of the road removal.
The Picayune Strand Restoration Project will restore natural water flows over an 85-square-mile area (~55,000 acres).
The project will improve the area's hydrology, allow for the return of more balanced plant communities, increase aquifer recharge, and send fresh water in a more natural manner to the coastal estuaries.
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