GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS ANNOUNCES MAJOR WATER POLICY REFORMS
Governor Ron DeSantis signed Executive
Order 19-12 (Achieving More Now For Florida’s
Environment), implementing major reforms to
ensure the protection of Florida’s environment
and water quality.
“Our water and natural resources are the
foundation of our economy and our way of life
in Florida,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “The
protection of water resources is one of the most
pressing issues facing our state. That’s why today
I’m taking immediate action to combat the threats
which have devastated our local economies and
threatened the health of our communities.”
The order calls for:
• $
2.5 Billion over the next four years for
Everglades restoration and protection of water
resources (a $1 Billion increase in spending over
the previous four years and the highest level of
funding for restoration in Florida’s history).
• The Establishment of a Blue-Green Algae Task
Force, charged with focusing on expediting
progress toward reducing the adverse impacts
of blue-green algae blooms now and over the
next five years.
• I
nstruction to the South Florida Water
Management District to immediately start the
next phase of the Everglades Agricultural Area
Storage Reservoir Project design and ensure
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approves the
project according to schedule.
• T
he Creation of the Office of Environmental
Accountability and Transparency charged with
organizing and directing integrated scientific
research and analysis to ensure that all agency
actions are aligned with key environmental
priorities.
• T
he Appointment of a Chief Science Officer
to coordinate and prioritize scientific data,
research, monitoring and analysis needs to
ensure alignment with current and emerging
environmental concerns most pressing to
Floridians.
EXECUTIVE ORDER 19-12: ACHIEVING MORE NOW FOR FLORIDA’S ENVIRONMENT
Section 1: Focus on Rapid Improvement for
Water Quality, Quantity and Supply
I hereby direct the Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP), the Department of Health (DOH)
as provided in paragraph J below, and Visit Florida
and the Department of Economic Opportunity
(DEO) as provided in paragraph L below, to take
the following actions to enhance Florida’s water
quality and preserve its natural resources:
A. Secure $2.5 billion over the next four years to
invest in Everglades restoration and protecting
our water resources.
B. Establish a Blue-Green Algae Task Force,
charged with focusing on expediting progress
toward reducing the adverse impacts of blue-
green algae blooms now and over the next
five years. This task force should support key
funding and restoration initiatives to expedite
nutrient reductions in Lake Okeechobee and
the downstream estuaries. This task force
should identify priority projects for funding that
are based on scientific-data and build upon
Basin Management Action Plans to provide
the largest and most meaningful nutrient
reductions in key waterbodies, as well as make
recommendations for regulatory changes.
C.
Update and secure all restoration plans,
within one year, for waterbodies impacting
South Florida communities, including Lake
Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee and
St. Lucie Estuaries. These updates will ensure
that the Blue-Green Algae Task Force has the
necessary information to provide guidance to
DEP on maximizing the investments in water
quality improvements.
January Legislative Report continued on page 8
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DITCHMEN • JANUARY 2019