SFWMD: Brandon Tucker, Jaime Weisinger, Federico Fernandez resign as DeSantis asked

The entire South Florida Water Management District board will be newly appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis by March, after three resignations late Tuesday and Wednesday.

The most recent resignation, effective Feb. 15, came from Brandon Tucker of Palm City, who in a letter to former Gov. Rick Scott said he was at peace with his decision.

"It is my sincere prayer and hope that the man or woman chosen to replace me will remove all preconceived notions they may have and start day one with an open mind, not swayed by any special interest, sincerely seeking the truth that comes from sound science and common sense," Tucker wrote.

Hours before that, Jaime Weisinger of Collier County resigned effective immediately. In his letter to DeSantis, he said he respects the governor's decision to ask for a new board and is excited about his "resolute commitment" to environmental issues.

"South Florida's water resources are in good hands with you," he wrote.

Chairman Federico Fernandez said he will resign after the Feb. 14, according to a letter he sent the district Tuesday night.

It's "clear" the new governor wants "a board completely comprised of his appointments for the purpose of carrying out his vision," Fernandez wrote.

"I have made every effort to remain on the board during this period of transition for the purpose of ensuring that much-needed water-resource projects are advanced and, in so doing, decisions are made that help future board members," Fernandez wrote.

Here's when Scott appointed them, their term and the areas they represented:

Tucker: June 2017 to March 2021, representing St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

Weisinger: August 2017 to March 2021, representing Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Hendry, Highlands, Glades, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola and Polk counties.

Fernandez: August 2016 to March 2020, representing Miami-Dade County.

Still refuse to resign

Two board members, James Moran, who represents Palm Beach County, and Sam Accursio, who represents Miami-Dade County, still had refused to resign as of Tuesday, but both will be off the board when their terms end in March.

The resignations by Tucker, Weisinger and Fernandez came after DeSantis said Tuesday "time is going to run out" before he takes further action against them. He stopped short of saying he'll suspend them, but that would be the next step in a protracted process that ultimately requires the Florida Senate to remove them.

“If you can’t make them see the light, you’ve got to make them feel the heat," DeSantis said, adding his office could take action to remove or penalize them. "We’re happy to move into the next phase of this. I hope we don’t have to do that, but the bottom line is I have a lot of resources and things in my disposal that I can use."

DeSantis called for the entire board to resign immediately at a Jan. 10 news conference in Stuart, in large part because of two controversial votes they took Nov. 8 to:

Lease land to a subsidiary of sugar grower Florida Crystals on the site of the planned EAA reservoir, designed to curb Lake Okeechobee discharges.

Ask a federal court to end federal oversight of the district's Everglades restoration projects and its promise to clean polluted farm water draining into Everglades National Park, the result of a 1988 lawsuit.

Resignations

Three board members resigned as DeSantis asked, but not immediately:

Rick Barber, a Lee County engineer

Dan O'Keefe, an Orange County attorney

Carlos Diaz, a Broward County software developer, whose appointment hadn't been confirmed by the Florida Senate.

Former Vice Chair Melanie Peterson, a Realtor in Palm Beach County, resigned Jan. 1.

DeSantis' office has not answered TCPalm's multiple requests for comment on whether he plans to replace SFWMD Executive Director Ernie Marks as well.

The agency's general counsel and chief of staff, Brian Accardo, resigned Jan. 4.

New appointments

DeSantis announced two new appointments Tuesday:

Developer "Alligator Ron" Bergeron replaces Diaz in representing Broward County.

Outgoing Sanibel City Councilman Chauncey Goss, son of former U.S. Rep. and CIA Director Porter Goss, replaces Barber in representing Lee, Collier, Charlotte and Hendry counties.

The governor Tuesday said he expects to appoint two more board members by March 1, to replace Moran and Accursio. More are expected after this week's resignations.

U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Palm City, chaired DeSantis' environmental advisory committee and recommended the new governor wipe the board clean.

"With today's resignations," Mast tweeted, DeSantis "now has a historic opportunity to completely remake the @SFWMD into an org that is truly transparent & accountable to the people of Florida. Together, we will do much more to protect the environment & health of the people in our state."

Goss promised transparency in an interview with TCPalm Tuesday.

The 16-county district serves 8 million residents and millions of tourists.