Gov. Ron Desantis Signs FY25 Budget That Includes Monroe County Funding For Critical Projects

Recently, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Fiscal Year 2025 State budget, including the full $20 million Florida Keys Stewardship Act and $5 million for land acquisition appropriation. In addition, the State funded $650,000 for the mobile vessel pump-out program, $5 million for the Florida Keys artificial reef program, and over $1 million for emergency marine vessels. The State's budget for resilience funding includes $225 million for Florida Keys projects. The budget also provides significant funding for programs that indirectly affect Monroe County, including Everglades restoration, Florida Forever, and affordable housing.

"This funding will provide major support for us here in the Florida Keys" said Acting Monroe County Administrator Kevin Wilson. "This included a lot of work put in by our Legislative Affairs Director Lisa Tennyson and her team in Tallahassee as well as Rep. Mooney and Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez. None of this would have been possible without their support."

Mayor Holly Merrill Raschein is especially appreciative of the continued support for the Stewardship funding, which she helped secure in 2016 as a State Representative.

"I'm very grateful for the funding allocated to us from the Governor this year" said Merrill Raschein. "It's good to see the State looking out for us economically and environmentally."

The State Legislature enacted the Florida Keys Stewardship Act in 2016. This one-of-a-kind legislation acknowledges the importance of protecting the Florida Keys' unique and fragile resources, including its coral reef, seagrass beds, and mangroves. Monroe County has secured approximately $110 million in water quality funding since the passage of the Act, and Florida Keys communities use the funding to implement water quality projects to protect these resources.