Florida Gov. DeSantis signs order addressing environment

TALLAHASSEE — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is following up on a campaign promise to make the environment a priority by signing an executive order to address problems with algae that have plagued the state.

DeSantis signed the order Thursday morning in Bonita Springs in southwest Florida, one of the areas where slimy, green algae have bloomed because of pollutants flowing downstream from Lake Okeechobee.

DeSantis is ordering the state departments of environmental protection and health to work with the state's tourism agency to secure $2.5 billion to help restore the Everglades and protect water resources.

The order also creates the Blue-Green Algae Task Force and the Office of Environmental Accountability and Transparency.

It also directs the Department of Environmental Protection to appoint a chief science officer to research and analyze environmental concerns.