House Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #454 Lake Panasoffkee Restoration Funding Request
Requester:	E.D. "Sonny" Vegera		Organization:		Southwest Florida Water Management District
Project Title:	Lake Panasoffkee Restoration Funding Request		Date Submitted:		01/13/2000 4:29:43 PM
District Member:	Everett Kelly		Service Area:		Statewide
Counties Affected:	{Statewide}
Recipient:	Southwest Florida Water Management District		Contact:		Bruce Wirth
	2379 Broad Street		Contact Phone:		(527) 967-2114 226
	Brooksville, FL 34609
Project Description:
The project proposes to restore over 5000 acres of lake bottom and shoreline habitat through a series of six steps involving state of the art dredging technics. the lake's navigation, fisheries and water quality have degraded due to extensive deposits of sediments and nuisance vegetation.
Services Provided/Benefit to State:
Lake Panasoffkee is the third largest lake of approximately 1,800 lakes in west central Florida and provides a significant economic gain to the State through its history of providing a nationally recognized fishery. The direct and indirect (suppliers, lodging, tourists, etc.) Economic gains are not just limited to the local area, but to the entire region and State.
Measurable Outcome Anticipated:
When completed, over 5000 acres of lake bottom habitat will be restored. The restoration will focus on fisheries by removing sediment that has eliminated historic fish bedding areas. Undesirable vegetation and bottom sediments will be removed allowing for improved fisheries habitat, navigation and water clarity. Fisheries improvement will be measured by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and the only public access to the lake will be restored.
Amount requested from the State for this project this year:				$5,000,000
Total cost of the project:		$25,796,924

Request has been made to fund:			Construction
Is there Local Government or Private match for this request?						Yes
	Cash Amount:	$1,152,430		In-Kind Amount:		$30,724
Was this project previously funded by the State?						Yes
	Fiscal Year:	1999		Amount:		$5,000,000
Is future-year funding likely to be requested?						Yes
	Amount:	$5,000,000
	Purpose for future year funding:				YesNon-recurring Construction
	Will this be an annual request?					No
Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request?						No
Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget?						No
Is there a documented need for this project?						Yes
	Documentation:	Lake Panasoffkee Restoration Plan -- Submitted to Legislature, November 1998
Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)?						Yes
	Hearing Body:	Sumter County Legislative Delegation
	Meeting Date:	11/29/1999