RON DESANTIS. USING SHADY LAND DEALS TO GAIN POINTS FOR PRESIDENT?

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A woman in a blue short-sleeve shirt and sunglasses speaks in front of a crowd. People hold up posters that says "the public says no to destruction."
At Honeymoon State Park, protesters including local resident Michelle Birnbaum gathered to oppose Gov. DeSantis' secretive "Great Outdoors Initiative." Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Press Wire

This story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

Florida’s department of environmental protection has fired a whistleblower who exposed and sank governor Ron DeSantis’ secretive plan to pave over environmentally sensitive state parks and build lucrative hotels, golf courses, and pickleball courts.

James Gaddis, who worked for the agency for two years as a cartographer, was terminated for “conduct unbecoming a public employee,” according to a letter he received on Saturday.

His leaking of the proposals sparked a furious backlash that united Republicans with Democrats and environmental advocates, and forced DeSantis into a humiliating climbdown last week in which he admitted the plans were “half-baked” and were “going back to the drawing board.” MOTHER JONES

The Saga of Senate Bill 2508
From the moment members of the Florida Senate planted SB 2508 into the legislative arena, things were suspicious. The first red flag was the method by which the bill was filed, as a budget conforming bill. This would significantly reduce the opportunity for public engagement, effectively affording only one opportunity to take input from citizens a mere two working days after the bill’s filing.
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It was a clear attempt to sneak the bill into policy under the cover of darkness. Just days after it was filed, Governor DeSantis denounced the bill and its handling, saying, “SB 2508 is being rammed through the budget process, short-circuiting public engagement and leaving affected agencies in the dark.”

But its questionable filing was only part of the problem. In its original form, it really was one of the worst pieces of water policy in decades.

The bill threatened to reduce priority of the critical EAA Reservoir project, a cornerstone Everglades restoration project. It held hostage more than $300 million in Everglades restoration funding, forcing that funding to be contingent on the passing of SB 2508. And worst of all, it threatened to write into law the preferential treatment of the industrial sugar industry over all other stakeholders in Lake Okeechobee operations. CAPTAINS FOR CLEANWATER