The dredging of the River was finally begun in September 2004 and this was the culmination of years of negotiations between the Federal, State and local governments and of the tireless efforts of the Miami River Commission and the Florida Congressional Delegation. For her part, Ros-Lehtinen has been a fierce advocate in Congress for the Miami River and the dredging is an important milestone in the river’s history. Nearly 1 million tons of contaminated sediments will be removed when the dredging is complete, which will restore the Miami River’s Federal Navigable Channel and significantly improve the marine industry and natural environment.

The Federal government made its most recent appropriation in the budget for the river in fiscal year ’05 bringing the federal contribution to a total of $27.85 million.