Ron DeSantis says 'send the water south' during Stuart campaign visit to view toxic algae

Ali Schmitz | Treasure Coast Newspapers

Show Caption Hide Caption Video: What caused the Lake Okeechobee algae bloom? The algae bloom that spread across much of Lake Okeechobee during the summer of 2016 was caused by fertilizer runoff from north of the lake and fed by by water from farmland to the south. TYLER TREADWAY/TCPALM

During a tour of the St. Lucie River Monday, Rep. Ron DeSantis, the current front-runner in the Republican primary for governor, pledged to support policies that reduce the need to discharge freshwater from Lake Okeechobee to the east and west coasts.

DeSantis met with local lawmakers, scientists, environmental advocates and local business leaders about how algal blooms in the river have hurt the environment and the local economy. TCPalm was the only news outlet on the boat where DeSantis met with locals.

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DeSantis said one of the first things he would do if elected governor is appoint people who better understand the impacts of algae on the coasts to the South Florida Water Management District.

"If you don't understand what's happening on the Treasure Coast or southwest Florida, don't even bother with seeking that appointment. This needs to be a priority for those folks, and I think that'll make a difference," DeSantis said.

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He also said he's open to purchasing land owned by sugar farmers to for Everglades restoration projects.

DeSantis, Rep. Brian Mast, R-Palm City, and Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, all participated in the tour. The tour was jointly set up by DeSantis' campaign and Mast's re-election campaign.

The primary is August 28.

Negron, who has not endorsed a candidate for governor, told TCPalm he "supports" DeSantis' campaign but did not fully endorse him Monday.

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On the boat, DeSantis met with scientists who talked about the causes of the algal blooms and how the state has responded to them. Local business owners impacted by algae talked to the lawmakers about what they believe DeSantis could do, if elected, to push the state to better respond to algal blooms. Local environmentalists on the boat told DeSantis about the sugar industry's influence on water policy in Tallahassee.

DeSantis said the tour helped him better understand how the blooms have a "trickle-down effect" on the local economy.

"These are mom-and-pop people. These aren't real wealthy, big corporations. This is kind of the lifeblood of what a local economy is all about," DeSantis said.

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DeSantis and Mast talked to each other about Brightline's planned expansion through the Treasure Coast. While DeSantis has not made any public comments on the rail project, DeSantis signed off on a letter in May, opposing Brightline's use of federally authorized tax-exempt bonds for the planned expansion to Orlando.

DeSantis visited Englewood in Charlotte County last week. During that visit, he met with local business owners.

DeSantis and algae

DeSantis has earned praise from some Florida environmentalists over his primary opponent, Adam Putnam, mainly because of the commissioner of Agriculture's support of the sugar industry and several policies they back.

Putnam has received more than $800,000 thousand in direct contributions from Florida's two largest sugar companies: U.S. Sugar and Florida Crystals.

DeSantis is one of three Republican congressmen from Florida to support sugar reform this year in Congress. Mast and Naples Rep. Francis Rooney also supported sugar reform.

A spokesman for DeSantis, David Vasquez, said the congressman initially opposed the sugar price supports because taxpayers had to foot the bill for a sugar industry bailout in 2013. DeSantis called the price supports "corporate welfare."

DeSantis also believes the sugar industry is behind a series of negative ads against him.

But since then, he's been more vocal about his opposition to the program for environmental reasons.

DeSantis partnered with several Florida lawmakers to push for approval of the Everglades reservoir, which would reduce Lake Okeechobee discharges by about 60 percent. He lobbied the Trump Administration to sign off on the reservoir in July.

He said his close relationship with President Donald Trump, who has endorsed and campaigned with the congressman, could help the state get the project expedited.

DeSantis also supports lowering Lake Okeechobee levels to reduce the need to conduct discharges in the summer, a policy pushed heavily by Mast.

"This summer's gone, this summer's been destroyed for us already, but we can work right now to make sure this doesn't happen again," Mast said. "It's great to have a partner on that."

Everglades Trust Executive Director Kimberly Mitchell said the congressman has spent a significant amount of time helping environmentalists recently in Congress, from reaching out to the White House about the Lake Okeechobee reservoir to supporting Everglades restoration funding. The group endorsed DeSantis earlier this month.

Mitchell said his decision to oppose the sugar program and rail against the sugar industry has been a major factor in her support for the congressman.

"Over time he has grown to understand the environmental damage and the plumbing problem," Mitchell said. "The environmental damage is a symptom of a broken plumbing problem that is kept in place to benefit sugar. Once you start to understand that you can see the economic, environmental and the human health damage caused by it. We feel very comfortable about our endorsement on the Republican side."

But other environmentalists have cautioned against DeSantis.

Drew Martin, Conservation Chair for the Loxahatchee Group Sierra Club, called DeSantis a "sham environmentalist" in a release sent out by the Florida Democratic Party, pointing out that he hasn't voted on behalf of the environment often. DeSantis has a 2 percent rating from the liberal-leaning League of Conservation Voters.

"As a candidate, DeSantis has no plan to stop the flow of waste and poison into Florida’s waterways. He has even promised to do nothing to address climate change as governor — which we know contributes in part to the toxic algae bloom devastating our community," Martin said in the statement. "Instead of offering solutions, DeSantis has simply praised Rick Scott, whose horrible environmental policies and rollback of clean water protections have contributed to the current crisis."