Two members of the board that manages South Florida’s water resources have resigned, giving Gov. Ron DeSantis a quick victory in his campaign to prevent another summer of gooey algae on the region’s coasts.
The governor last Thursday asked for the resignations of the entire nine-member board of the South Florida Water Management District, as part of the most dramatic first week in power for any Florida governor in recent memory: he pardoned the Groveland Four, appointed the first Cuban-American woman to the Supreme Court and ousted Broward Sheriff Scott Israel.
Long accused by environmentalists of excessive concern for the interests of the sugar industry, the board drew intense criticism in November for agreeing — on short public notice — to extend a lease for sugar farming on land slated for use as a reservoir to protect the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee.
DeSantis, who had sharply criticized the sugar industry during his campaign, unveiled a sweeping plan last week to protect water, including money to deal with the blue-green algae that has devastated beaches and coastal wildlife. As for the water management district, he said “We need a fresh start so we can move forward together as Floridians united.”
Handing in their resignations were Carlos Diaz, co-founder of a Pembroke Pines software company, who represented Broward County, and Dan O’Keefe, an Orlando real estate lawyer, who represented Orange, Glades, Highlands, Okeechobee, Osceola and Polk counties.
“It has been my honor to serve the people of our great state of Florida and the hard-working staff of the South Florida Water Management District for the past nine months,” Diaz said in his resignation letter.
O’Keefe noted in his letter that he had not voted in favor of the controversial lease of the reservoir land but said he understood the governor’s desire to have his own appointees in place.
“I compliment you for the spotlight and urgency you have directed to the issues of blue-green algae, red tide and releases from Lake Okeechobee to the coastal estuaries,” he wrote.
The resignations leave six board members, another member having resigned at the beginning of the year. Of those six, four have terms that expire in March.
The water management district, which serves 16 counties, operates flood control structures, supervises water supplies and serves as the state partner in the joint project with the federal government to restore the Everglades.
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