Gov. Scott Signs Agreement to Implement RESTORE Funding

Gov. Rick Scott announced Friday that he had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Gulf Consortium to create a process to develop Floridas State Expenditure Plan for RESTORE funding.

The RESTORE Act creates the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, and will establish various funding categories. The RESTORE Act will be funded by Clean Water Act civil and administrative penalties paid by responsible parties from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that heavily damaged the ecosystem of the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

The Council is comprised of the five Gulf State governors and six federal agencies. Twenty-three Gulf Coast counties (Gulf Consortium) are tasked with creating the State Expenditure Plan, which may include both economic and environmental restoration projects.

We need to do everything in our power to make Florida communities impacted by the BP oil spill whole again and Im pleased to work with the Gulf Consortium to develop projects for the State Expenditure Plan," said Gov. Scott. "Development of a comprehensive and thoughtful plan will ensure that Florida moves toward environmental and economic recovery of the Gulf.

"This agreement with the governor provides us with the opportunity to fully coordinate the collective efforts of all levels of government to restore and protect Florida's Gulf waters," said Grover Robinson, Escambia county commissioner and Gulf Consortium chairman. "The Gulf Consortium is ready to get to work on a transparent plan that will best enhance the economic and environmental recovery of our coastal communities and the state of Florida."