Following U.S. House passage of a bill which would direct money to water conservation in Florida, a Congressman who pushed the legislation is calling on Governor Rick Scott to stop the political gamesmanship with regards to the state’s local waterways.
In recent weeks, there’ve been several calls for President Barack Obama to take a tour of Florida’s damaged waterways, and Scott has been particularly critical.
“I’ve asked the President to come down and look at the problem. If he cared about the citizens of that area of the state, then he’d come down and see the problem, but he won’t,” said Scott last month.
Scott made similar comments during a recent stop in Gainesville. Others, including Florida Congressmen Trey Radel, a Republican, and Patrick Murphy, a Democrat, have also called on Obama to visit Florida. Murphy, who represents the 18th District, says he’ll continue to do so, but he understands it’s a busy time on the heels of a shutdown.
“I think the federal government is doing quite a bit now. Obviously, there’s been a lot of finger-pointing, but I don’t think that helps anybody out. And, I’m disappointed the Governor would continue to do that, but I'm not going to get into it with him. I’m just going to keep working hard and advocating for more support to the Everglades,” said Murphy.
Murphy made his remarks during a Thursday conference call, touting the recent passage of a bi-partisan water bill in the House. It’s expected to fund several water projects in Florida, including Everglades restoration, beach re-nourishment, and lessening polluted discharges from Lake Okeechobee to other waterways.
Stay tuned to Friday's Capital Report for more on this story--moving forward on the water bill and its projected impact. CLICK HERE for the story.
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