Rep. Diaz-Balart to Attend Ribbon-Cutting Celebrating the Completion of the Picayune Strand Restoration Project After Years of Leadership on Everglades Restoration

January 27, 2026 Press Release 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 64 th Ave SE, Naples FL 34117 United States Army Corps of Engineers Picayune Strand Restoration 5233 Everglades Blvd S, Naples, FL 34117 Background: Picayune Strand – 2011 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. ### Issues : Appropriations Appropriations Process Everglades Restoration