DeSantis demand prompts 2 members of Florida board to resign

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Two members of the board that plays a key role in Everglades restoration have resigned after Gov. Ron DeSantis demanded that they step down.

The new governor last week asked members of the governing board of the South Florida Water Management District to resign. The board in November extended a lease with sugar farmers for land needed for a reservoir that is key to water purification efforts, angering DeSantis.

The Republican governor is pushing his own plan to tackle water quality problems and said it was time for a “reset” on the governing board.

Board members Dan O’Keefe and Carlos Diaz both submitted their resignation letters Friday. Other members of the nine-person board have told local media that they do not plan to resign.

The terms of three current members end in March.