1935 – A $5,000,000 allocation for the cross-Florida ship canal was announced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on this date. The canal would have connected the Atlantic Ocean with the Gulf of Mexico, which opponents argued would cut down on shipping costs and would be safer than traveling through the Florida Straits. Although the idea of a cross peninsular canal was first introduced as early as the 16^th century, it was not until President Roosevelt allocated funds as an economic recovery project that any real construction began. Almost immediately however, serious environmental concerns were brought forth and construction stalled over the course of the next few decades until President Nixon finally halted the project in 1971 with official cancellation occurring in 1991, after $74 million had been spent on the project which was approximately 28% complete by this time. Sections of the canal still exist today and the planned right of way across the state became the Majorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway in 1998, providing natural hiking and biking trails.