Naples secures $31.5 million for local projects in state budget, including the Naples Pier

Laura Layden | Naples Daily News

Naples has secured $31.5 million for a trio of projects in next year’s state budget.

The budget, signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday, includes:

• $25 million for a new coastal stormwater management system
• $5 million for the rebuild of Naples Pier
• $1.5 million for lake restoration

City manager Jay Boodheshwar shared the good news via email, saying the city is “extremely grateful to the governor” for approving the funding.

However, he noted the city didn’t get all of its projects approved, which came as a disappointment.

Jay Boodheshwar, Naples city manager
The governor vetoed funding for two of the city’s projects, as part of his larger efforts to trim the budget state lawmakers sent him.

Across the board, DeSantis cut about $1 billion in projects and programs from the budget, reducing it to about $116.5 billion.

In the city Naples, the cuts included:

• $1 million to address flooding issues and improve water quality by replacing existing septic systems with centralized wastewater systems
• $3 million to help improve resiliency against sea level rise and to reduce the threat of storm surge for the River Park East community, including Anthony Park.

Read the full article on naplesnews.com.