DeSantis boasts his legacy on funding Everglades restoration, water quality improvements

Gov. Ron DeSantis has committed to authorizing $1.5 billion in the next fiscal year’s budget for Everglades restoration and water quality improvement projects — an effort to sustain the cherished southern portion of the peninsula that’s been dubbed the River of Grass.

The governor has yet to sign off on the Florida’s Legislature’s state budget for the fiscal year starting this July 1, but he pledged his support during a Monday press conference for several projects addressing the state of the Everglades and water quality across the state.

On Earth Day, the governor also flaunted the amount of money he’s invested in those areas — he claims up to $6.5 billion since he took office in 2019.

“That’s more than any period in the state of Florida’s entire history, even adjusted for inflation,” DeSantis said Monday during a press conference in West Palm Beach.

The governor’s office provided Florida Phoenix with a one-pager outlining some of the projects that comprise the $1.5 billion amount discussed by DeSantis on Monday. The one-pager includes $850 million for Everglades restoration projects.

The largest share of that pot, $614 million, will go towards the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) and the Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir, according to the one-pager.

“You’re going to see that as a lasting legacy with the things that are gonna go in to conserve Florida’s natural resources. At the end of the day, my view is that we as Floridians, as Americans, we want to utilize natural resources. We want to enjoy natural resources,” DeSantis said. “It’s great that people take annual trips to come to Florida to fish, or to go boating, or to enjoy our beaches.”

He continued: “What we’ve done over these last five-plus years, is really ensure that we’re leaving the state of Florida better to the next generation that then what we found it.”

DeSantis also highlighted water quality improvement projects that would cost $530 million, including $135 million reserved for a grant program aimed at reducing harmful nutrients in waterways. Another $100 million would be for support and health of Indian River Lagoon, according to the one-pager. And Biscayne Bay and Caloosahatchee Estuary would receive $45 million.

The governor appears to be leaning on Everglades restoration as a part of his legacy. Before turning to culture wars, DeSantis started his stint as governor emphasizing environmental issues. In fact, his first press conference following the suspension of his presidential campaign focused on his record on the environment.

But to Matthew Schwartz, the executive director of South Florida Wildlands Association, the governor’s numbers are not impressive, he told the Phoenix in a phone interview. Schwartz sees wetlands, which are areas entirely covered by water for at least part of the year, as critical for the restoration of the Everglades.

“It’s very easy to say we’re pumping money into a degraded ecosystem,” he said. “But, unless you can explain how that plumbing and infrastructure is going to fundamentally change the problem and fix the problem — and why that’s better than using that same money to acquire the agricultural lands south of Lake Okeechobee — then I’m not going to accept it.”