TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will soon decide the fate of a $6.25 million budget item that will kick off planning and restoration of the Ocklawaha River. Both houses of the Florida legislature voted to include the funding in the recently passed FY 2025-26 budget.
If DeSantis agrees, he’ll have the approval of a long list of local businesses, current and former elected officials, and anglers.
The leading legislative proponent of restoring the Ocklawaha and whose district includes the river’s headwaters, Sen. Jason Brodeur (R-Sanford), said, “Restoration improves three rivers, unleashes twenty springs, expands jobs and tourism in northeast Florida, and resolves a dam safety issue for the residents of Welaka.”
A dozen anglers and fishing-related businesses supporting the measure added that restoring natural freshwater flow from the Ocklawaha to the lower St. Johns River would improve fishing from the Atlantic Ocean to the headwaters of the Ocklawaha River.
Writing in the Jacksonville Times-Union, Evan Tucker, avid angler and co-founder of Cowford Conservation, a non-profit dedicated to protecting sportsmen’s interests in Northeast Florida, asserted that, “The anticipated benefits of the Ocklawaha restoration resonate with sportsmen and should prompt others, from local businesses to government leaders, to take notice. Outdoor recreation such as fishing, boating, and hunting is big business in Florida, generating $57.8 billion and accounting for 469,357 jobs statewide in 2023.”
The Ocklawaha is the primary tributary of the St. Johns, the state’s largest river, which flows north past Jacksonville into the Atlantic Ocean. Improving the flow of the Ocklawaha will benefit the twelve counties that touch on the three-part Ocklawaha, Silver, and lower St. Johns riverway through improved water quality, increased recreational opportunities, and reduced flood risk.
Indeed, restoring the river is expected to provide a major economic boost to northeast Florida. A January 2025 report authored by a group of subject matter experts found that restoration and recreational access improvements would generate approximately $200 million in cumulative net economic benefits over 20 years and return $2.09 for every dollar invested.
Earlier this month, more than two dozen Putnam County businesses, organizations and other interested parties signed a letter of support for restoration, writing, “Investments in restoration and related infrastructure, such as boat ramps and docks, for boating, fishing, manatee viewing, swimming, and paddling and other outdoor activities will promote a more prosperous Putnam County.”
Former Putnam County elected officials Kim Dugger, Jessica Finch, Chip Laibl, Linda Myers, and Vern Myers, added that, “State funding and planning efforts will bring everyone to the table to shape Ocklawaha River restoration, outdoor recreation opportunities, and pursue further opportunities to develop Putnam County’s outdoors economy.”
The mayors of Ocala, Palatka, and Welaka were early supporters.
Ben Marciano, the mayor of Ocala said, “Ocklawaha River restoration is an investment in one of Florida’s premier parks – Silver River State Park – and our most iconic springs and rivers.”
City of Palatka Mayor Roberta Correa wrote, “Restoration would expand existing and create new outdoor recreational opportunities for boating, shore-based fishing, springs recreation, wildlife watching and other activities benefitting local communities and businesses.”
The Florida budget is now awaiting Gov. DeSantis’ signature.
