The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has told a federal judge it pulled the plug on a major Everglades restoration proposal in western Broward County, the C‑11 impoundment, and says the money set aside for it has been withdrawn. The plaintiffs who sued over the plan, including a Soka Gakkai Buddhist retreat in Weston, counter that contracts, cleared land and court filings show the project either already started or remains very much alive on paper, and they are urging the court not to toss the case.
According to Sun Sentinel, the Corps told the court that the C‑11 project has been canceled and its funding withdrawn. The filing says a cancellation notice was issued on or before Jan. 7 and that funds originally earmarked for C‑11 were reallocated on Dec. 22, 2025. Roughly $500 million was described as having been moved, and the filing says that money had been necessary to proceed with the work. The government also characterizes the overall C‑11 effort as carrying an estimated price tag of about $700 million to $800 million.
The plaintiffs, Soka Gakkai International‑USA and the Florida Nature & Culture Center, filed suit in federal court in December 2024 and say the Corps failed to take a hard look at off‑site impacts. Their complaint describes the project design and possible effects in detail: an above‑ground earthen reservoir, a 25‑foot‑deep by roughly 180‑foot seepage capture canal, a deep underground seepage barrier wall and a seven‑story pump station, all on an approximately 1,830‑acre footprint. The complaint also notes that the Corps awarded a land‑clearing contract, issued a Notice to Proceed effective Nov. 15, 2024, and that land‑clearing activity was already underway, according to the court filing (court filing).
Why The Corps Says It Is Canceled
In its most recent court filing, the Corps argues that the change in funding and the cancellation notice render the lawsuit moot and has asked the court to dismiss the case. The government filing spells it out plainly, stating that "this case should be dismissed as moot." A Corps spokesperson declined to comment on what led to the cancellation or where the funds went, according to Sun Sentinel. Local lawmakers say they have not been briefed; Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz's office told reporters it had not received any information indicating the C‑11 work or related projects are canceled.
Legal Posture
The lawsuit advances claims under the National Environmental Policy Act and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, alleging construction would irreparably harm the FNCC retreat and nearby wetlands. A federal magistrate recommended denying the plaintiffs' emergency injunction request, and a district judge signed an order denying that preliminary injunction in February 2025, leaving the larger dispute to be resolved on the merits in court (see the plaintiffs' complaint and the federal court order).
Plaintiffs have filed papers asking a judge to deny the government's motion to dismiss and keep the case alive, according to the public docket (court docket). At stake now is whether an administrative notice and reallocated appropriations truly end the controversy, or whether cleared land, active contracts and the Corps' own project documents mean the plaintiffs still have a live injury the court must decide.
