Every year Florida gets shorted because we formed FIND in 1927 to buy our waterway from a private company for turnover to the federal government and to buy and maintain any required easements. In exchange, the federal government promised to enlarge the waterway and perpetually maintain it. Congress has broken that promise to the nation's second most populous state for years. Florida was the only coastal state required to buy its private waterway and turn it over to the federal government. Congress used federal money to buy the Cape Cod Canal et al. See, "Florida's Big Dig" by William G. Crawford, Jr., Florida Historical Society Press (2007), winner of the 2008 Rembert Patrick Award.

Thanks for the comment, Fred. We posted that info too: Fort Lauderdale ICW dredging begins (http://www.waterwayguide.com/latest-news/news/6482/fort-lauderdale-icw-dredging-begins). The big difference is that Florida has its tax-supported Florida Inland Navigation District to fund these projects (and big business support behind it), whereas SC and GA have relied on federal funds which, with the "no earmark" rules over the last several years, provide for little more than commercial port projects.

Somehow they found enough money to dredge the channel in Ft. Lauderdale... between 15th street causeway and Oakland Park bridges... Here's the good part.. they're dredging the already 10'-12' deep channel down to 17' so that the Mega Yachts can more easily move in that area.... the old Golden Rule in action again..." If you have the gold, you make the rules" The story was in today's Ft. Lauderdale Sun Sentinel newspaper.