With no disparagement meant toward the new appointee Mr. Thompson, we note that Gov. DeSantis continues to shirk his responsibility to provide a balanced governing board for water management districts.
In spite of useless lip service, he has demonstrated time after time to have no interest at all in bettering our water problems. Any action he takes or money that he throws at the problem is carefully aimed so it will not hit any pollution source or harm any industry. His is an action of meaningless words only, and carefully wasted money so he can claim he is solving the problem.
At this point we see no hope or indication that anything will change and so look forward to his replacement at the earliest opportunity.
Special thanks go to Andy Marlette of the Pensacola News Journal who altered his cartoon to include environmentalists as a favor to OSFR and the environment. We appreciate his environmental work which helps our mission to educate.
Even to subscribers the Gainesville Sun provides no link to this article.
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
Suwannee water board vacancy filled
DeSantis appointee Thompson owns Lake City firewood company
Cindy Swirko Gainesville Sun USA TODAY NETWORK Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020
The owner of a firewood company has been appointed to the Suwannee River Water Management District Governing Board by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Larry Thompson’s addition to the board still leaves it two short of the nine members it should have.
Thompson is vice president and owner of Nature’s Source Products, based in Lake City, and the president and owner of Straw America, according to a district news release.
He has volunteered with the Suwannee County Housing Authority and CareerSource Florida Crown, the release states.
The governing boards of Florida’s five water management districts are supposed to have nine members. DeSantis, however, has left vacancies unfilled for long periods of time on several boards.
Some districts at times did not have at least five members needed for a quorum , forcing DeSantis to make appointments so the
board could vote on matters.
Only the Southwest Florida district currently has nine members but all have at least five.
Most members appointed by DeSantis to the governing boards, including SRWMD and the St. Johns River Water Management District, have business backgrounds.
In North Central Florida, representatives of environmental groups and water protection organizations, or who have scientific backgrounds in water resources, have applied for positions but have not been appointed.
Alachua County is split between the Suwannee and St. Johns districts.