Reunite the Rivers
Ocklawaha – Silver Springs – St. Johns
Reunite the rivers. Restore water and wildlife. Revitalize river communities.
The Northeast Florida Rivers, Springs and Community Investment Act
On January 5, 2026, Florida lawmakers Sen. Jason Brodeur and Rep. Wyman Duggan filed SB 1066 and HB 981 entitled the “Northeast Florida Rivers, Springs, and Community Investment Act.” Most likely the biggest conservation bill of the 2026 legislation session, this bold proposal takes a new approach to Ocklawaha River restoration designed to address the needs of the twelve counties that border the riverway from Lake Apopka to Jacksonville. The bill would expand outdoor recreation opportunities, improve public safety and resiliency, and strengthen the rural economy across Northeast Florida while improving the water and wildlife of multiple natural ecosystems – the Silver, Ocklawaha and St. Johns Rivers and historic Silver Springs.
Local Advisory Committee Shapes the Plan: Creation of an advisory committee consisting of local governments, business owners, conservation representatives, fishermen and other user groups along with state agency representatives to assist in developing and implementing plans for local economic development, outdoor recreation, and strategies to assure a smooth transition for homeowners and businesses directly impacted by the restoration project.
Updates
January 20th, both the Florida Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee and House Committee on Natural Resources unanimously passed bills to support Ocklawaha River Restoration with recreation and economic development support for local communities.
The bills now advance to other legislative committees, we will keep you posted on the latest developments.
Watch the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources: https://thefloridachannel.org/videos/1-20-26-senate-committee-on-environment-and-natural-resources/
Watch the House Subcommittee on Natural Resources and Disasters: https://thefloridachannel.org/videos/1-20-26-house-natural-resources-disasters-subcommittee/
The Great Florida Riverway is one of Florida’s environmental and economic treasures.
This vast, 217-mile river system reaches from the Green Swamp in Central Florida to the Atlantic Ocean via the Ocklawaha and St. Johns Rivers. The Great Florida Riverway is home to 50 freshwater springs: 25 at historic Silver Springs, 20 on the Ocklawaha River, and five in the Harris Chain of Lakes. Restoring the Great Florida Riverway is vital to improving the ecosystem and economic health of North and Central Florida.
The Ocklawaha River, the heart of the Great Florida Riverway, was dammed by the Rodman/Kirkpatrick dam in 1968. Constructed as part of the Cross Florida Barge Canal that was never completed, the dam flooded over 7,500 acres of forested wetlands, 20 springs, and 16 miles of the Ocklawaha River. The continued decline of water quality, spring flow, wetland forests, fish, wildlife, and recreation has led American Rivers to designate the Ocklawaha River as one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2020.
Restoring the Great Florida Riverway by breaching this dam will re-establish access to essential habitat for manatees, bring back migratory fish, connect three river ecosystems, historic Silver Springs, and restore a lost riverway for anglers and paddlers from Ocklawaha’s Harris Chain of Lakes to the Atlantic.
Photo credits: Doug Engle, Mark Emery, and Will Dickey