A Florida Senate bill to be voted upon Thursday has sent a Southwest Florida nonprofit organization to Tallahassee twice to protest it.
Captains for Clean Water last week met in Tallahassee with Florida Sens. Ben Albritton, Wilton Simpson and Kathleen Passidomo, who represents parts of Southwest Florida.
Fishing captain Daniel Andrews and his group pleaded with the three Republican senators against voting for the 25-page Senate Bill 2508 because it would increase the likelihood of sending nutrient-rich waters from Lake Okeechobee to Southwest Florida via the Caloosahatchee River, Andrews said.
A repeat of the 2018 algae blooms that plagued the region is the biggest concern, Andrews said, which is why he is headed back to Tallahassee for the vote on Thursday.
“They tried to convince us that this was a good thing,” Andrews said of the bill. “We finally walked out. They wouldn’t budge an inch, and we wouldn’t budge an inch either. They wanted us to compromise on things that would be horrible for the Caloosahatchee and Southwest Florida.”
“SB 2508 maintains current funding for water restoration projects and appropriates an additional $875 million in funding for Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades. Importantly, it increases accountability for state agencies that use Florida taxpayer dollars for water restoration and also ensures that the State of Florida will not cede control of Florida’s water resources to the federal government,” Passidomo said.” Much of the criticism tied to this legislation is based on false attacks and misinformation. I have met with the South Florida Water Management District and the Captains for Clean Water and heard their concerns. We’re working on an amendment to address their questions.”
Sen. Ray Rodrigues, a Republican who also represents parts of the region, could not be reached for comment.
Andrews and the Captains for Clean Water have one Republican ally in Gov. Ron DeSantis. The governor released a statement on the bill last week.
“I have been a champion for Everglades restoration and oppose any measure that derails progress on reducing harmful discharges and sending more water to the Everglades,” DeSantis said in a release. “Moreover, I reject any attempt to deprioritize the EAA Reservoir project south of Lake Okeechobee.
“Rather than advancing legislation seeking to affect a major change in policy, SB 2508 is being rammed through the budget process short-circuiting public engagement and leaving affected agencies in the dark.”
