Perseverance That Benefits Us All

On January 28th, I had the very great pleasure of seeing our own Charlette Roman usher in a new era. We were present to witness the ribbon cutting for the completion of the Picayune Stand Restoration Project, the cornerstone of America’s most ambitious ecosystem repair, the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. The natural sheet flow of water has been restored to 85 square miles of uplands and wetlands, the culmination of 17 years of sustained initiatives by multiple agencies, accelerated over the past seven years by our governor.

A longtime resident of Marco Island, former City Councilor and Retired Army Colonel Charlette Roman, as a board member of the South Florida Water Management District and Chair of the Big Cypress Basin Board, has been an integral part of the project in Picayune Strand. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Colonel Roman for her service to the country, the state, and most specifically to our community. She has given her time and enthusiasm to improving the health of the ecosystem for generations to come. There are already reports of Florida panthers running free in the tracts of land in this massive Everglades restoration.
I hope we can all look to her example of engagement to affect meaningful change. With the collaboration of various state agencies, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the South Florida Water Management District, this project of almost two decades has finally reached a successful finish. My sincere thanks and gratitude to Charlotte for her unflagging efforts.