The Sink or Swim Project

Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt, Jr.
26^th President of the United States (1901-1909)

Following the last eight years of Rick “I am not a climate scientist” Scott’s draconian rein as Governor, many folks are rightfully cautiously optimistic about the environmental news and comments initially coming from Ron DeSantis, Florida’s new elected leader.

Part of the understandable euphoria comes from the mere mention of phrases like “climate change” and “sea level rise” from Governor DeSantis and his staff, phrases that his predecessor effectively outlawed throughout Florida’s government over the last eight years. Hearing these phrases simply uttered offers many of us hope that our fragile state, what with places like South Florida well known the world over as ground zero in the United State’s climate change battle, might just (maybe) see our government begin to address the actual cause of the crisis: fossil fuel use.

Fueling the hope that many are ending the year with is the news just days after his election that the new governor would be seeking $2.5 billion ($625 million per year) towards restoring our precious Everglades. In fact, the esteemed Everglades Foundation touted the news as “the beginning of a new and more hopeful era for the Sunshine State.” Per the governor’s plan, the annual $625 million is expected to be allocated as follows:

• At least $300 million for Everglades Restoration and the EAA Reservoir project
• $50 million for springs restoration
• $50 million for Total Maximum Daily Load projects (TMDLs) to ensure water bodies throughout the state have appropriate nutrient levels
• $15 million for projects within the St. Johns River, Suwannee River, and Apalachicola River watersheds
• $10 million for Coral Reef protection and restoration.
• The remainder of the $625 million will be appropriated for other water quality, alternative water supply, and water conservation projects, including innovative technologies for nutrient reduction and harmful algal bloom prevention and mitigation

You can learn more about the new plan within the governor’s press release on the subject by clicking here.

“Surrounded by water, our state is ground zero for sea-level rise and is leading the country in resiliency efforts with the leadership of Governor DeSantis. This appointment of Dr. Nesheiwat is the first of its kind”

Noah Valenstein
Secretary, Florida Department of  Environmental Protection

In addition to simply uttering phrases like “climate change” out loud (as if that should be remarkable in a place as threatened as South Florida), our new governor has codified the state’s apparent newfound concern over our warming atmosphere and rising seas by announcing the appointment of Dr. Julia Nesheiwat as Florida’s first ever Chief Resilience Officer (CRO). That’s certainly a step in the right direction and encouraging news despite some critics taking issue with Dr. Nesheiwat’s lack of climate/science experience.

One of the things I am most proud of from my work on climate change over the last several years is the small role that I played in demanding that Miami-Dade County begin budgeting money to combat climate change while also appointing its first ever Chief Resilience Officer, my now friend Jim Murley, in 2015 when I was just 14. It’s about time the state got around to recognizing the threat our climate crisis is to Florida’s future and puts someone in charge of the fight, so I welcome this news and appointment. You can read more about Florida’s first CRO by reading the Governor’s press release here.

Many have asked me in recent months how I feel about our new governor’s apparent dedication to the environment and especially our climate crisis. As you can likely tell from the title of this blog, I wonder and worry about whether the steps he’s taking are sincere or is it that he’s simply pretending to care because he’s smart enough to know that it’s good politics (polling routinely shows that Floridians greatly favor protecting the environment) to address these topics? I will certainly take all of the good news I can find but I have to admit something does not “smell” right about at least some of this. Yet,, it’s too early to know why I feel this way.

Perhaps it’s the hyper focus on resiliency, while critically important given the damage rising seas are already doing, that seems to overshadow the lack of any steps or comments to address fossil fuel use or the need to transition towards sustainable transportation and renewable utility power. I am not sure what it is, but something seems to be missing.

“I’m not in the pews of the church of the global warming leftists! I’m a Teddy Roosevelt conservationist.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
On the Campaign Trail in 2018

Or perhaps it’s how he campaigned on these issues. It’s been reported that during the campaign he would speak about the need to restore the Everglades, address algae blooms, and adapt to sea levels that are clearly rising but typically never, if ever, mentioned “climate change.” Or, just maybe, it’s just repulsive and unnecessarily aggressive politically charged comments like he saying “I’m not in the pews of the church of the global warming leftists! I’m a Teddy Roosevelt conservationist” as he told reporters last year.

Speaking of President Roosevelt, our new governor should be careful to not make himself look so silly as to compare himself to the man widely called “The Conservation President.” Consider that Roosevelt is commonly considered the most important environmentally oriented leader the United States has ever had and that during his time in office his lasting, impressive accomplishments included:

• Establishing 230 million acres of land as public land
• Creating 150 National Forests
• Creating 5 National Parks (Crater Lake in Oregon, Wind Cave in South Dakota, Sullys Hill in North Dakota that later became a game preserve, Mesa Verde in Colorado, and Platt in Oklahoma that is today part of Chickasaw National Recreation Area)
• Enacted the Antiquities Act of June 8, 1906, that allowed he and future Presidents to proclaim historic landmarks, historic or prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest in federal ownership as national monuments
• Designating America’s first 18 National Monuments
• Establishing 35 Bird Preservation Habitats starting with Pelican Island, a small island in the Indian Lagoon near Sebastian, Florida
• Creating the U.S. Forest Service

Well, the seemingly good news of late aside, here’s hoping Ron DeSantis proves to be a real environmentalist and not just a pretend political one.