Only the Florida Senate can remove South Florida Water Management District board members who refuse to resign immediately, as Gov. Ron DeSantis requested Thursday.

SFWMD board members Brandon Tucker, Jim Moran, Jaime Wesinger and Sam Accursio last week announced they will not resign and Chair Federico Fernandez and Rick Barber have not answered media questions about their plans.

Governors appoint SFWMD board members, but the Senate must confirm and remove them, according to state law and Senate President Bill Galvano's memo outlining the multi-step process.

More: DeSantis asks all SFWMD board members to resign

More: Two SFWMD board members resign

Here's how it would work:

DeSantis would have to suspend the board members, and could do so only for wrongdoing, neglect of duty, incompetence, permanent inability to perform official duties, commission of a felony, or drunkenness.

Then board members would have two options: resign or request a hearing by the Environment and Natural Resources committee that oversees the district.

The Senate president — under extraordinary circumstances — could reject their request or — as in most cases — direct the committee to conduct a hearing.

If committee members have any conflicts of interest, then the Senate could hire a nonpartisan mediator as a special master to preside over a hearing.

Then the committee or the special master would recommend removing or retaining the board members to the Senate.

Then the full Senate would vote.

Former Gov. Rick Scott appointed all of the current board members.

Moran, Barber and Accursio have terms that end in March, the same month the 2019 legislative session begins.

Other suspensions

The Senate last month declined to take up a similar suspension fight between Scott and former Broward County elections supervisor Brenda Snipes, saying there was not enough time to review the allegations against her before her initial resignation date.

Snipes sued Scott and the Senate over the process, saying Scott violated a former state election official's constitutional rights when he suspended and "vilified" her without first allowing her to make her own case.

A judge sided with Snipes last week, and the state must now give a "meaningful opportunity to be heard" regarding her suspension by March 31.

More:Judge: Gov. Rick Scott violated Snipes' rights

The SFWMD board members are not the only officials who could face the Senate this spring.

Suspended Broward County Sheriff Steve Israel said he also plans to challenge his removal over his handling of February's massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

DeSantis asked SFWMD board members to resign over a controversial Nov. 8 vote to lease land needed for the EAA reservoir to Florida Crystals subsidiary New Hope Sugar Co. — after DeSantis asked them to give the public more time to vet the surprise deal.