OSFR has published several times here about Gov. DeSantis’ missed opportunity to provide water management boards with environmentalists. We will not revisit this issue but say here only that our governor shows in this important way that he has no interest in reversing the on-going trend of our declining and dying springs and rivers, abandoned in favor of industry.
And add that his shortsightedness defeats his purpose because tourism is already dying along with the springs.
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Communications Office | Suwannee River Water Management District |
386.362.1001 or 800.226.1066 (FL) | SRWMDCommunications@SRWMD.org | www.MySuwanneeRiver.com
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Yes. It’s past time that the people of Florida realized that Gov. DeSantis, like Gov. Scott before him, will refuse to take effective, quantifiable, scientifically supported actions to save our springs, rivers, lakes and estuaries, despite giving a lot of “feel-good” lip service to doing those things and despite throwing a lot of money at projects that transfer public dollars to private pockets. If our water bodies are to be saved, we the people of Florida are going to have to figure out how to do it ourselves–and part of that equation includes electing people who are courageous enough to make tough decisions that will anger big business, agriculture, and wealthy campaign donors, or who are visionaries with stellar leadership skills that can get buy-in for saving the springs from a whole host of folks with different viewpoints and financial interests. At this point, I’m not holding my breath that saving the springs will ever happen. It doesn’t take a crystal ball to know that when our springs are dead and our aquifer/drinking water is fouled, these chickens will come home to roost, and it isn’t going to be pretty.