South Florida water board members resign after DeSantis request
South Florida Water Management District governing board members Daniel O’Keefe and Carlos Diaz have resigned their posts following a request by Gov. Ron DeSantis last week for the entire board to step down.
O’Keefe, who formerly served as the chairman of the nine-member voluntary board, said this morning he resigned his post Friday. O’Keefe’s term was not set to expire until March 2020. He was appointed originally in 2011 by former Gov. Rick Scott and reappointed in 2016. He represented areas including Glades, Okeechobee Orange and Osceola counties.
Diaz, who represents Broward County, was appointed in May with a term set to expire in March 2022.
Board members ran afoul of the newly minted governor and his environmental transition team chairman U.S. House Rep. Brian Mast, R-Palm City, in November when they approved extending a lease that allowed sugarcane farming to temporarily continue on land slated for a reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee while planning for the $1.4 billion project is underway.
“While I did not vote for the lease extension, I commend the governor for his focus on addressing the algae and red tide issues,” O’Keefe said this morning in an email to The Palm Beach Post. “I also understand his desire to have his people on the board, and I submitted my resignation Friday.”
Diaz said in his resignation letter that he is proud of his service as a board member.
“It is my hope that the new administration, along with the team at the SFWMD, will continue to drive initiatives such as Everglades restoration, water supply, water quality improvement and flood protection,” Diaz wrote.
Former board member Melanie Peterson resigned Jan. 1 before the DeSantis request. Board members Brandon Tucker and Jim Moran have said they don’t intend resign, although Moran’s post expires in March.
DeSantis had five seats to appoint even before Thursday’s request, with Peterson resigning, three terms expiring in March and Diaz not yet confirmed by the Senate.