DeSantis asks entire South Florida water board to resign

Plea comes as governor pledges billions to the environment

Gov. Ron DeSantis has asked the entire South Florida Water Management District board to resign — a dramatic shakeup on the heels of the new governor unveiling his plan to clean up Florida’s waters.

DeSantis said Thursday in Stuart that change is needed at the agency, which plays a critical role in flood control and Everglades protection in South Florida.

“We need a fresh start so we can move forward together as Floridians united,” he said. “These issues are things that really don’t fall on party lines.”

The district’s nine-member board — all appointed by former Gov. Rick Scott — angered fellow Republican DeSantis when it extended a lease in November for sugar farmers on land that has been slated for a reservoir.

The board provided little public notice of the action, stoking outrage that it wasn’t being transparent about important decisions.

DeSantis has made creating more water storage south of Lake Okeechobee a key aspect of his plan to eliminate discharges of algae-laden water to Florida’s coasts. He chose Stuart — a community devastated by guacamolethick algae blooms — as the backdrop for his surprise announcement.

The board members’ terms will start expiring in March. The term of Scott’s last appointee

ends in March 2022. One seat on the board is vacant.

It’ll be up to board members to decide whether to resign, said Randy Smith, a spokesman for the water management district. Ernie Marks, the agency’s board-appointed director, does not plan to step down, he said.

Federico Fernández, chairman of the water board, did not return a phone message seeking comment, but at least one board member — Sam Accursio — told the South Florida Sun Sentinel he has not decided yet whether he will resign.

Accursio, whose term ends in March, said he learned of the governor’s decision only when he received a letter at 4 p.m. He said he was surprised because he voted for DeSantis and had been making “sciencebased” decisions.

“I’d like to hear from the governor, because you can’t go by second-hand information,” Accursio said. “I have no clue what this is based off of. I hope that it’s based off of he’s got a better person with more experience than I have.”

Multiple other members didn’t immediately respond to voicemail messages on their office phones, cellphones or to text messages.

DeSantis has the option of suspending public officials if he finds misfeasance, malfeasance, neglect of duty or incompetence. The Florida Senate is charged with removing or reinstating suspended officials.

Everglades Foundation CEO Eric Eikenberg said the board members should resign because the public has lost trust.

“These are gubernatorial-appointed positions,” said Eikenberg, who leads a group dedicated to protecting the Everglades. “This governor has made the environment his No. 1 priority. I would submit to you that this board does not share the same priority. He wants a change and he deserves a change. The people of Florida deserve a change.”

DeSantis unveiled a package of environmental orders Thursday that included devoting $2.5 billion over the next four years for Everglades restoration and water resources and the creation of a chief science officer.

In his letter to board members, DeSantis thanked them for their service and then asked them to resign. He wrote that the board would be reconstituted with a “dedicated focus toward implementing the objectives we have laid out today.”

DeSantis said he will also pull back last-minute appointments that Scott made to various state boards that require Senate approval. Scott appointed 76 people a few days before he left office.

Parkland school safety advocate Andrew Pollack was among those appointments. Pollack, whose 18-year-old daughter Meadow was killed in the Parkland shooting, was named to the State Board of Education.

“We’re going to take a fresh look at it, and then we’ll move forward from there,” DeSantis said.