The five-year, $524-million lump-sum contract is the largest ever awarded by the South Florida Water Management District under the $16.4-billion Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan and the first CERP project for the contractor.

The proposed budget includes $360 million for at least 23 Everglades projects that will provide 672,000 acre-ft of water storage and reduce Lake Okeechobee discharges that have caused toxic algal blooms on the coasts and estuaries.

Florida’s new governor, Ron DeSantis (R), swept into office issuing an executive order Jan. 10 for an ambitious program to improve the state’s water quality, quantity and supply; bring science, accountability and transparency to environmental programs; and enhance coastal protection.