How to make sure DeSantis follows through on environmental agenda

If we had to describe former Gov. Rick Scott's environmental strategy in a couple of words, it would be safe to go with "defund and deregulate."

In these early days as his successor, Gov. Ron DeSantis' strategy is more "shock and awe" ... in a good way. 

So far, DeSantis is holding up his end of the bargain for voters who chose him based on his environmental credo. And he's pleasantly surprising some environmental-minded voters who didn't vote for him.  

Now, the onus is on citizens, taxpayers, business owners — and, especially, journalists — to make sure DeSantis follows through. 

How can we do that? 

First, let's review what DeSantis has promised. His environmental pledges, unveiled in a Jan. 10 executive order, include:

• Creating an Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection to help prepare Florida’s coastal communities for impacts from sea level rise.
• Creating a Blue-Green Algae Task Force, with a focus on reducing nutrient pollution in Lake Okeechobee and the estuaries that serve as its relief valves.
• Appointing a chief science officer to align scientific work with the environmental concerns most pressing to Floridians.
• Creating an Office of Environmental Accountability and Transparency to lead scientific research and analysis ensuring all agency actions are aligned with environmental priorities.
• Making the South Florida Water Management District to immediately start the next phase of the Everglades Agricultural Area Storage Reservoir Project design. 
• A big hike in funding for Everglades restoration and protecting water resources — to the tune of $2.5 billion over the next four years.
• Updating all restoration plans, within a year, for bodies of water impacting South Florida, including Lake Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries.
• Directing the state Department of Environmental Protection to establish a grant program for septic conversion and remediation.
• Instructing the state's five water management districts to prioritize funding for projects that address harmful algae blooms and maximize nutrient pollution reductions.
• Moving the Environmental Crimes Enforcement Unit from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission to DEP to align resources "and ensure strong enforcement of Florida’s environmental laws."
• Opposing all off-shore oil and gas activities off every coast in Florida and hydraulic fracturing in Florida.

A lot of promises, a lot of potential upside — and a lot for concerned Floridians to keep track of.  

I asked the governor's office for ETAs on these pledges, as well as guidance for citizens who want to follow the progress. The answer I received from the governor's press office was ... vague: 

“Governor DeSantis knows the protection of Florida’s water resources is one of the most pressing issues facing our state and that’s why issuing this executive order was one of his first actions upon taking office. We look forward to working with the Department of Environmental Protection to carry out the goals of the order. Additional information will be provided online on the DEP website as updates become available.” 

Fair enough. It would be unreasonable to expect a locked-in timetable for this environmental agenda. Still, it shouldn't take much longer to identify target dates and articulate a clear philosophy for implementation.  

I also contacted DEP, to which the bulk of this work will fall, to get a sense of the timeline. 

The agency's secretary, Noah Valenstein, responded with a statement saying the governor's executive order "will provide the department with the tools necessary to do more for our environment now.

"I’m excited for what has been laid out in this comprehensive plan and look forward to continuing to work collaboratively and transparently with our stakeholders to improve and protect our waterways," Valenstein said.

Like the governor's office, he didn't provide specific ETAs or methods for the public to track progress. 

A DEP spokeswoman said via email, "details regarding implementation of the executive order will be shared as they become available. This is certainly a top priority and the department is committed to keeping the public informed as we move forward."

So, again, how can we track the progress?

How can we make sure DeSantis' shock-and-awe announcements result in on-the-ground action?

And how can we make sure these new departments are truly effective — not just added layers of bureaucracy? 

We can sit around and wait for DEP to keep us posted, or we can be proactively vocal. 

If you're inclined to do the latter, these are a few ways to get started:

Contact DeSantis' office and ask for a progress report on his environmental executive order. (Call 772-717-9337 or email the governor via www.flgov.com/email-the-governor). 

Contact the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's ombudsman, an office that fields citizen questions and concerns. (Call 850-245-2118 or email public.services@dep.state.fl.us).

Follow environmental watchdogs including the Rivers Coalition, Florida Conservation Voters, Audubon Florida, Captains for Clean Water the Everglades Foundation and the Florida Chapter of the Sierra Club, all of which are tracking DeSantis' environmental agenda. 

Follow our environmental journalism at TCPalm. Our newsroom doubled down on coverage of the environment six years ago, and we have not let up. Nor do we intend to.

DeSantis has his work cut out for him.

So do we.

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Eve Samples is opinion and audience engagement editor for TCPalm/Treasure Coast Newspapers, which is part of the USA TODAY Network. Contact her at eve.samples@tcpalm.com or @EveSamples on Twitter.