Twenty-five years after a permit requesting partial demolition of Rodman dam landed at the St. Johns River Water Management District, the dam still stands – even as the state of Florida is in the midst of record-high spending to reverse manmade changes to the environment.

The dam, built in Putnam County for the ill-fated Cross Florida Barge Canal, blocked the Ocklawaha River from flowing directly to the St. Johns River while creating a 9,500-acre body of water that gained a reputation as one of the state’s top spots for bass fishing.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has highlighted his environmental record as he runs for re-election, pointing to $500 million in this year’s budget to continue work on the Everglades.

Read the rest of this story at Jacksonville Today news partner The Florida Times-Union.