SFWMD: DeSantis appoints Chauncey Goss, son of Porter Goss and water advocate

Chauncey Goss is Gov. Ron DeSantis' first appointment to the South Florida Water Management District board, he announced at a 1 p.m. news conference in Naples.

Goss, a Florida water advocate and son of former U.S. Rep. and CIA Director Porter Goss, is an outgoing Sanibel City Council member who unsuccessfully ran for a Southwest Florida congressional seat in 2012 and 2016.

More: DeSantis asks all SFWMD board members to resign immediately

Earlier this month, Goss criticized SFWMD board members, all of them appointed by former Gov. Rick Scott, who refused to resign effective immediately, as DeSantis' requested on Jan. 10 — his third day on the job.

In a Twitter post, Goss said non-elected board members do not serve at the pleasure of the governor, and yet have taxing authority.

"I am fairly agnostic as to the fix, but believe the Governing Boards have been shielded from taxpayer accountability. The current situation makes it clear the current structure has flaws. The buck has to stop somewhere," the post says.

The SFWMD responded positively to the appointment.

"The district very much welcomes Mr. Goss and looks forward to working with him," agency spokesman Randy Smith told TCPalm.

Florida water advocate

During his 2016 campaign, Goss told the USA TODAY Network his biggest local priority was water issues, and he currently serves on two West Coast environmental nonprofit boards: Captains for Clean Water and the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation.

Captains for Clean Water is a grassroots group that "advocates for the elimination of harmful, large-scale Lake Okeechobee discharges into the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie River estuaries by restoring the natural flow of Lake Okeechobee water south into the Everglades and Florida Bay," according to its website.

More: What are Lake Okeechobee discharges?

The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation is "dedicated to the conservation of coastal habitats and aquatic resources on Sanibel and Captiva and in the surrounding watershed," according to its website.

U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Palm City and chair of DeSantis' environmental advisory committee, said he recommended Goss for the SFWMD board because of his experience advising those environmental groups.

More: Gov. Ron DeSantis environmental budget offers $625M for water projects

“Chauncey Goss has a strong understanding of the issues plaguing Florida’s waterways," Mast told TCPalm. "Based on my conversations with him, I believe he will be a passionate advocate for reform and help advance the governor’s bold plan to clean up Florida’s waterways. On top of that, he’s a great pick in the fight to make the South Florida Water Management District represent the people, not special interests.”

Among the environmentalists applauding his appointment was Alex Gillen of Bullsugar, a South Florida grassroots group "dedicated to stopping the damaging discharges into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries and restoring the flow of clean freshwater to Florida Bay," according to its website.

"Chauncey Goss will bring a level of policy expertise that has not existed on the South Florida Water Management District governing board lately," Gillen told TCPalm. "As an early champion of the Now or Neverglades Declaration, Mr. Goss demonstrated his commitment to science and policy solutions that will lead to a smarter and more sustainable Florida."

Porter Goss

Goss' father also was a Florida water advocate.

While serving in the House, he was a vocal proponent for Everglades restoration projects and opposed allowing more phosphorus pollution in Florida waterways.

More: South reservoir part of CERP's intended purpose, Porter Goss says

Nitrogen and phosphorus cause toxic blue-green algae blooms and feed toxic red tide blooms in nearshore waters.

Porter Goss since been a vocal advocate for water quality projects, including the EAA reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee designed to curb discharges.

He also was chair of the Office of Congressional Ethics board.

Civic activist

Chauncey Goss runs a Sanibel-based consulting firm, Goss Practical Solutions, which provides federal fiscal policy consulting, according to the firm's website.

More: Goss walks line between D.C. background and Southwest Florida roots

Before that, he worked as a national security defense analyst and advised the White House and Congress on budget issues during the George W. Bush administration.

Goss also serves on the boards of the United Way of Lee, Hendry, Glades and Okeechobee counties; the Southwest Florida Community Foundation and The Canterbury School executive committee; and is a member of the Sanibel Captiva Kiwanis Club and Sanibel Community Church, according to the city of Sanibel's website.

As a Sanibel City Councilman, Goss was liaison to the city's Historical Preservation Committee, Historical Museum and Village, Recreation Financial Assistance Committee, Sanibel Captiva Chamber Governmental Affairs Committee, and the Employee Dependent Scholarship Committee, the city's website says.

More: Chauncey Goss takes another shot at Congress in SWFL

He was elected to the City Council in 2015 and declined to be considered for another term after his ends in March.

In his higher-office campaigns, Goss lost to former U.S. Rep. Trey Radel in the 2012 Republican primary and to U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney in the 2016 Republican primary.

SFWMD board resignations

DeSantis dropped a bombshell when he asked all SFWMD board members to resign immediately, during a news conference in Stuart.

DeSantis said by March 1 he expects to have six of the nine board members appointed.

That will fill the four current vacancies plus two board members whose terms expire in March: Sam Accursio and Jim Moran.

Accursio and Moran have refused DeSantis' request to resign, as have Brandon Tucker of Palm City and Jamie Wesinger of Collier County. Board Chair Federico Fernandez has not responded to TCPalm's multiple requests for comment.

DeSantis' office also has not answered TCPalm's multiple requests for comment on whether he will suspend the holdouts and whether he wants to replace SFWMD Executive Director Ernie Marks.

In other news

DeSantis also unveiled his recommended budget for the Department of Environmental Protection during the Naples news conference.

DeSantis also is expected to make an environmental announcement at Everglades Holiday Park in Broward County, but it's unclear whether it's the same or different news.