PLANS ON SIGNAL. ALL RIGHT. THIS AFTERNOON THERE IS A NEW PUSH TO PROTECT THE INDIAN RIVER LAGOON. AND GOVERNOR DESANTIS IS PUTTING A LOT OF MONEY BEHIND IT. THE FOCUS IS TO ALLOW INFRASTRUCTURE TO BE IMPROVED, BUT LIMITING THE IMPACT IT HAS ON THE ENVIRONMENT. WESH 2’S MEGAN MORIARTY LIVE IN BREVARD COUNTY TO EXPLAIN HOW THIS WOULD WORK. MEGAN. THE FUNDING WOULD HELP THE INDIAN RIVER LAGOON PROTECTION PROJECT, WHICH AIMS TO KEEP CONTAMINATED WATER LIKE STORMWATER, OUT OF THE LAGOON. ADVOCATES SAY WITHOUT THIS FUNDING, THE JOB WOULDN’T GET DONE. BORDERING BREVARD COUNTY, THE INDIAN RIVER LAGOON NOT ONLY HOUSES THOUSANDS OF ANIMAL AND PLANT SPECIES, BUT IT PLAYS A ROLE IN OUR OVERALL ECONOMY AND OUR HEALTH. THAT’S WHY INVESTING IN ITS LONGEVITY IS TOP OF MIND FOR THE MARINE RESOURCES COUNCIL. BIG PROBLEMS NEED BIG MONEY TO HELP SOLVE THEM, AND BIG MONEY IS WHAT GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS PROMISED ON TUESDAY. WE’RE PLEASED TO SAY $100 MILLION FOR THE NEWLY ESTABLISHED INDIAN RIVER LAGOON PROTECTION PROGRAM, WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT TO PEOPLE IN THIS PART OF THE STATE. IN TOTAL, THE GOVERNOR IS PLEDGING $389 MILLION STATEWIDE TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY AND QUANTITY. HERE’S PART OF THE BREAKDOWN 189 MILLION WILL GO TOWARDS WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT GRANTS, 100 MILLION WILL GO TOWARDS THE NEW INDIAN RIVER LAGOON PROTECTION PROGRAM, AND 55 MILLION WILL EXPAND ALTERNATIVE WATER SUPPLY PROJECTS. WE HAVE A BIG INITIATIVE RIGHT NOW, KIND OF COUPLING LOW IMPACT DEVELOPMENT AND CONSIDERING WHAT HAPPENS TO WATER WHEN IT’S ON LAND BEFORE IT EVEN HITS THE LAGOON, BECAUSE IF WE CAN STOP THE FLOW OF FRESH WATER AND POLLUTED WATER TO THE LAGOON. THE LAGOON IS GOING TO GET A LOT HEALTHIER. THE FUNDS WILL HELP UPGRADE WASTEWATER FACILITIES, CONVERT SEPTIC SYSTEMS TO SEWER AND REDUCE HARMFUL RUNOFF. ANYTHING THAT ALLOWS WATER TO INFILTRATE THE GROUND AND THEN RECHARGE OUR AQUIFER, OR GET CLEANED THROUGH PLANTS BEFORE IT FLOWS INTO THE LAGOON. GOVERNOR DESANTIS SAYS IT’S PROJECTED TO REMOVE MORE THAN 1.1 MILLION ADDITIONAL POUNDS OF NITROGEN AND 286,000 ADDITIONAL POUNDS OF PHOSPHORUS FROM OUR WATER SYSTEMS. AND THE GOVERNOR ALSO MADE MENTION THAT HE MET WITH ELON MUSK YESTERDAY. SO WE ASKED HIM ABOUT POSSIBLE DOGE CUTS. SPECIFICALLY AT NASA. COMING UP AT 5:00, HIS RESPONSE, AS WELL AS THE PUSH TO MOVE NASA HEADQUARTERS HERE TO FLORIDA.