This legislation, known as the PROTECT Florida Act, mandates a significant shift in water infrastructure management for Central and Southern Florida. It directs the Army Corps of Engineers to ensure that public health considerations overlay all authorized project purposes , including flood control, navigation, and water supply, making public health the paramount operational goal. Public health is defined to encompass minimizing toxic cyanobacteria and harmful algal blooms, preventing their discharge into sensitive watersheds, and maintaining the integrity of the Herbert Hoover Dike, alongside adherence to water quality laws and ensuring sufficient water for the Everglades. To achieve this, the Secretary of the Army must modify operations and update a Master Operational Manual to manage the system for public health and Everglades Restoration. The bill also mandates a study on legacy pollution and nutrient loading, proposing solutions, and explicitly prohibits the use of restoration funds for Deep Well Injection (DWI) of excess waters. It clarifies that existing water rights compacts, tribal or state water quality standards, and schedules for authorized Everglades restoration projects remain unaltered.