As President Obama prepares to visit the Everglades on Wednesday, Governor Rick Scott is telling him while he is there he can catch up on payments the federal government is supposed to provide for the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee.

President Obama needs to live up to his commitment on the Everglades and find a way to fund the $58 million in backlog funding Everglades National Park hasn’t received from the federal government.

The president has a different agenda, he wants to talk about the hypothesis known as “global warming” and how the said hypothesis can affect the tourism industry in the Everglades. He is ignoring the truth that the only thing hurting the Everglades is the fact the federal government has not provided the funding promised.

Gov. Scott is also admittedly against “global warming” and “climate change.” Just last month Scott became embroiled in a controversy after the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting stated former Department of Environmental officials were told they should avoid using the terms. Scott has since denied he prohibited state agencies from saying “climate change” or “global warming.”

Governor Scott’s press release on Tuesday said Florida is seeking “real solutions when it comes to protecting our environment.”

We also need the federal government to step up their commitment to Everglades restoration by immediately requiring the Army Corp of Engineers to repair the Lake Okeechobee dike. . . As we continue to make important investments in our environment, the president’s latest budget cuts millions from the repair of the Lake Okeechobee Dike — the rehabilitation of which is critical to the protection of South Florida’s estuaries.

Ironically Obama’s trip to the Everglades is when environmental lobbyists are turning their focus from the Legislature toward Scott as they seek funding to buy land in the Everglades.