Hundreds of millions of dollars set to protect Florida waterways

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — A bill is waiting to be signed by the governor that will put money towards protecting Florida waterways.

Once SB 2512 is signed, around $200 million will permanently be reallocated from affordable housing towards environmental and flooding protection, as well as wastewater management.

RELATED: Bill set to become law cuts back on the affordable housing budget

The Lake Worth Waterkeeper says now couldn't be a better time to get more financial help to protect our waterways.

Situations like the wastewater leak in Piney Point and algae blooms in Lake Okeechobee show how harmful water can be if it's not managed.

Toxic elements in the water can get into the ground, impacting plants, into our drinking water, and even into our lungs as we breathe near contaminated lakes and ponds.

The water can also hurt our wildlife, hurting our fishing industry and tourism.

The waterkeeper hopes the hundreds of millions of dollars the government plans to spend will go towards research on how to keep our water sources clean, as well as on buying land for more watershed areas that can keep contaminates from getting on our waterways.

"This stuff is right in our back yard, it's knocking on our door. A lot of lake Okeechobee has a sign of bacteria from algae bloom as we speak. And like I said, this stuff is extremely toxic," said Reinaldo Diaz, the Lake Worth Waterkeeper.

While Diaz is glad lawmakers are finally paying attention, he thinks issues we're seeing right now could've been prevented if people had taken action sooner to protect Florida's water.

The bill has been sent to Governor Ron DeSantis' desk and could be signed as soon as this week.