Restore balance to water district

Gov. Ron DeSantis has repeatedly used the phrase “war footing” to describe his plans to fight for the health of Florida’s water supply, lakes, rivers and coastlines. Over the coming months, the governor will have the opportunity to line up his key troops.

But among the many positions he fills, DeSantis should pay special attention to six pending vacancies on the St. Johns River Water Management District Governing Board, which covers an 18-county area that includes Marion Conty east of Interstate 75, and is charged with protecting some of the most environmentally sensitive and at-risk ecosystems in the state.

The district shares oversight of the troubled Indian River Lagoon, one of the most diverse estuaries on the nation’s east coast, where a slow-moving environmental meltdown is unfolding. It also has jurisdiction over many of Florida’s most iconic springs, including Silver Springs and Silver Glen Springs in Marion County; Ginnie Springs and Ichetucknee Springs in Alachua; and many more. Contamination and decreasing volume in spring flows point to serious trouble in the vast underground aquifer that supplies Florida with clean drinking water.

And finally, there’s the district’s namesake, the mighty St. Johns River. The state has spent untold millions cleaning up sewage discharge and industrial waste, but last year the river saw the same algae outbreaks and high bacteria counts that are getting more attention in the Indian River Lagoon.

Over his term, former Gov. Rick Scott systematically stacked the water board with representatives of development interests and industry and it showed. Long-serving board Chairman John Miklos drew the most attention, for good reason: Miklos maintained an active environmental consulting business throughout his time on the board, creating a clear conflict of interest that drew repeated ethics complaints.

But the real problems are below the surface. The district purged many of its experienced staff, including a cut in 2011 that discarded 20 percent of the district’s employees, many of them engineers, hydrologists and scientists. The board also pushed many significant decisions down to the remaining staff, where they were made with little public notice or scrutiny. The goal shifted from protecting resources to getting permits out as quickly and efficiently as possible, in many cases reducing a formerly rigorous scientific review to the bureaucratic equivalent of a rubber-stamp.

Efficiency is a good thing. Nobody wants to see permitting mired in pointless bureaucracy. But it must be balanced with an eye toward the cumulative effects of each permitting decision, and the overall health of the water bodies inside the district.

That same balancing act should be applied to the selection of board members. The state’s business sector should be at the table, but DeSantis should seek out other interests, including people with strong environmental and scientific backgrounds.

None of this should reflect poorly on the current governing board members, who serve without pay. Most seemed earnestly dedicated to doing the right thing. But they were also guided by Scott’s philosophy, and there’s a new governor with a new — and improved — vision for Florida’s environmental future.

DeSantis sent a clear message when he “unappointed” three board members, including Miklos, last month. Three more board members have terms that expire this month. Finding the right people to fill those vacancies won’t be easy. But if DeSantis is prepared to fight a war for Florida’s water, he must recruit good commanders.