Former Gov. and Sen. Bob Graham said environment needs to be prioritized statewide

Former U.S. Senator and Governor Bob Graham thinks the DeSantis administration is off to a good start on water policy, but needs to do more to make sure the environment is prioritized statewide.

Graham talked water during an interview with TCPalm in Stuart.

Graham said he has concerns about how the state’s legislators have currently approached environmental projects. 

He said he’d like to see more funding go to the state's premier land-purchasing program, Florida Forever. Lawmakers and DeSantis have proposed spending about $100 million on Florida Forever this year.

Florida Forever used to receive about $300 million a year when it was established in 1999, but legislators gutted it since the 2008 recession.

Last year, the program received $100 million for the first time since the recession.

More: Florida Forever likely to get $100 million, but environmentalists want permanent fund

Graham said he'd like to see the program restored to its original levels.

“I had hoped, and still hope, we’ll get back to that in 2019,” Graham said.

Environmentalists have criticized some state legislators for using funds from the state's land acquisition trust fund for purposes other than land purchasing and restoration. 

More: Is the environment better off since Amendment 1? That depends

Some state legislators, including Florida Sen. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, have proposed using money from the land acquisition trust fund for septic-to-sewer conversions and wastewater infrastructure improvements. 

More: Florida Sen. Gayle Harrell's bill to fund Indian River lagoon projects passes Senate committee

Graham said recent decisions were not "encouraging." 

"I would hope there will be a reconsideration by members of leadership in the Legislature and on these issues they'll be closer to the Governor to convince him to fund one of the most fundamental ways to improve water quality, which is through land acquisition," Graham said. 

Growth management

Graham also said if he was currently governor he would have started the process of examining the state’s growth management plans. In 2011, then Gov. Rick Scott signed measures into law that eliminated the state’s Department of Community Affairs, which oversaw growth and development in the state.

“A state that’s growing at the pace of Florida, and shows no indication of slacking off, needs to have a framework within which to look at its growth challenges so growth doesn’t destroy the benefits of an enlarging population,” Graham said. “The state’s environmental qualities have played a major role in attracting (them).”

About Graham

Graham visited Stuart for a luncheon sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Martin County, a nonpartisan civic organization. During a lecture, he focused on civic engagement and bipartisanship.

Graham served as Governor from 1979 to 1987 and in the Senate from 1987 to 2005.

Since retiring, he's focused on civic activism and co-founded the Florida Conservation Coalition with Nat Reed, a Jupiter Island environmentalist who died last year. 

His daughter, former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, launched an unsuccessful Democratic bid for Governor in 2018, but came in second to nominee Andrew Gillum.

More: Gubernatorial candidate Gwen Graham says she'll push for science-driven solutions to algae