Gov. Ron DeSantis' water quality order is a must for Florida
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed an executive order Thursday that says all the right things and makes a heavy investment in preserving our environment and improving our water quality.
Now, all the government and environmental agencies in the state must join together and act swiftly on the plan.
What is important to see throughout the DeSantis executive order is he wants science, transparency and accountability to steer the state’s Save Our Water efforts.
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The sweeping order calls for a lot of change, but mainly:
- An additional $2.5 billion to be spent over the next four years on Everglades restoration — by far the biggest commitment of state dollars so far.
- A much-needed water treatment component for the Caloosahatchee Reservoir project (C-43), something most environmentalists and The News-Press editorial board have demanded. Without the treatment component, only dirty water would be stored in the reservoir and only dirty water would be released when it was needed during the dry season, causing deadly nutrients to flow again resulting in further environmental damage.
- The establishment of a Blue-Green Algae Task Force, assigned to look at ways to expedite a plan to eliminate the blooms that devastated our waterways and economy last year. Actually, the task force has been in place but has not been relevant because funding was pulled from the advisory group. The order wants updates to all restoration plans — many have not been updated for years — so that the task force has the most recent information in order to advise government agencies on nitrogen and phosphorous reductions.
- Updating the Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule. This is vital to the main east-west water bodies. An inconsistent schedule, resulting in large amounts of nutrient-filled water to flow in the river, is the reason local mayors have rallied and people have sued to get the schedule changed.
- The DEP to create a septic conversion and remediation grant program, with a local government match requirement, to help people convert from septic systems to municipal or county utility systems.
- More transparency and accountability among the five water districts in the state, including the South Florida Water Management District. This is crucial for the DEP so it can get the necessary data to support restoration efforts, review budgets and prioritize funding. These districts can’t be withholding information needed to make scientific-based decisions to decrease nutrients and stop algae blooms.
- Creating a state office that helps prepare state's coastal communities for impacts of sea level rise.
With science driving the order, DeSantis wants a new Chief Science Officer position created to coordinate and prioritize research, data and analysis to align with environmental needs and solutions.
The executive order is comprehensive and calls on the DEP, Department of Health, Visit Florida and The Department of Economic Opportunity to carry out the plan. They must, and the federal government must continue to deliver its half of the funding.
No more delays.
Senior Engagement Editor Tom Hayden wrote this editorial on behalf of The News-Press editorial board.