Big Win for Everglades Restoration and Water Quality

On Wednesday, June 8th, Governor DeSantis held a press conference in Fort Myers Beach at Doc Ford’s Rum Bar and Grille and announced his intent to veto Senate Bill 2508. He was joined by Environmental Protection Secretary Shawn Hamilton and Chief Resilience Officer Dr. Wes Brooks.

In his veto letter sent to Secretary of State, Cord Byrd, DeSantis wrote “SB 2508 still creates unnecessary and redundant regulatory hurdles that may compromise the timely execution and implementation of Everglades restoration projects and water control plans and regulatory schedules.”

“We want to continue going on the path that we set out in January 2019 and we don’t want anything to derail us from that,” DeSantis said Wednesday. “There were a lot of people that put a lot of good input in, very, very passionate folks and we hear you and we’re going to continue on the course that we started over three years ago.”

Captains for Clean Water Executive Director Daniel Andrews, a fishing guide from Fort Myers, said DeSantis’ action “sends an incredibly powerful message” that people pitching “counter efforts to water quality issues, you’re gonna get steamrolled by Gov. DeSantis.”

In the environmental world, this was a big deal and was considered a very big win. Julie Wraithmell, Executive Director for Audubon Florida, thanked the Governor for vetoing SB 2508 and removing roadblocks to Everglades Restoration. “This legislation would have undermined Florida Forever and stymied the momentum so recently gained to improve resilience in the River of Grass and protect drinking water for millions in South Florida. He made the right choice for Florida's Everglades and conservation lands.”

Many environmental advocates viewed SB 2508 as catering to Big Sugar and would have prioritized Big Sugar getting irrigation water from Lake Okeechobee over the Everglades ecosystems’ health. According to their views, it would have led to toxic discharges, more blue-green algae, red tide blooms and dead fish on our beaches.

Everglades Foundation CEO, Eric Eikenberg, said in a statement that with the allocation DeSantis “has exceeded his historic four-year commitment of $2.5 billion for America’s Everglades and Florida’s environment, and the Everglades Foundation applauds him for his dedication and continued advocacy for this pivotal piece of our great state of Florida.”

“Governor Ron DeSantis’ unwavering leadership and commitment to Florida water resources are making a real difference in our communities,” stated Charlette Roman, a Marco Island resident and a member of the Governing Board of the South Florida Water Management District. “The Governor set out a vision for protecting Florida’s natural resources in 2019 on his second day in office through the signing of Executive Order 19-12, Achieving More Now For Florida’s Environment. He’s kept his promise with the record year-over-year funding coupled with the veto of Senate Bill 2508. And the South Florida Water Management District is delivering on his vision through our efforts to build more Everglades infrastructure and improve water quality for all of South and Southwest Florida.”

“Now that SB 2508 is out of the way, Everglades restoration project can continue on course in keeping with the Governor’s bold vision and without unnecessary bureaucracy,” added Roman.