Dear Gov. DeSantis:

You’ve been called “America’s Everglades Governor.”

Since you took office in 2019, Florida has allocated record funding for Everglades restoration projects. This spending has helped generate significant momentum, spurring progress on key CERP components, including what you’ve called the “Crown Jewel of Everglades restoration”: the Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir and stormwater treatment area.

That reservoir, and the commitment to restoration it symbolizes, may be your legacy, Governor.

But what if it leaks?

Gov. DeSantis, you are surely aware of a proposal to mine limestone within a stone’s throw of the reservoir complex, on some 8,600 acres owned by U.S. Sugar and Florida Crystals. The Southland rock mine is being touted as a “water resource project” that will provide additional water storage south of Lake Okeechobee — after decades of blasting and digging.

But what might all that blasting and digging do to the adjacent “Crown Jewel of Everglades Restoration?”

And what might that do to your legacy, Governor?

Rest assured, the Southland applicants, Phillips & Jordan, will insist there’s no danger. They will bring in high-paid experts, cite their adherence to state law and provide detailed modeling to reassure you that the “crown jewel” will not be affected by the rock mine.

But Governor — what if they’re wrong?

Look again at the map showing just how close the rock mine would be to the reservoir. It is literally right next door.

The proximity is such a concern that last week Congressman Brian Mast sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is building the reservoir, noting that the federal government had invested hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, and “it is critical that the Army Corps ensure that this proposed project will not put that work at risk.”

What if Congressman Mast’s concerns are prescient? What if, in fact, the rock mine does put the reservoir at risk?

It could add to this EAA reservoir’s estimated $4 billion price tag. It could result in delays. It might physically compromise the structure of the reservoir either during the construction phase or even after completion.

The reservoir is projected to be done by 2035. The excavation might not be done until 2069.

Think about it, Governor. What happens if we wind up with a “crown jewel” unable to hold water, or unable to safely hold the amount of water promised?

The reservoir project could be jeopardized. The promised benefits could be diminished — or evaporate. 

Your legacy could be jeopardized.

Again, the applicants and their hired guns will insist none of this could ever happen.

Do you trust them, Governor?

And if they’re wrong — how will people remember “America’s Everglades Governor?”

The phrase could become a punch line, Governor. We’re certain you don’t want that.

So maybe you should consider doing something about it.