How Ron DeSantis shaped Florida’s environment
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — When Ron DeSantis first ran for governor in 2018, waves of red tide, dead fish and even manatee carcasses were washing up on southwest Florida beaches. Elsewhere, guacamole-green toxic algae blotted the coastline, sending residents and tourists fleeing in disgust.
DeSantis took advantage of those optics. He hammered his Republican primary opponent for his ties to Florida’s sugar industry, which is often blamed for South Florida’s water quality woes. DeSantis also called on Republicans to take a stronger stance on conservation, saying the party has “a great opportunity to really claim this as our mantle.”
And it worked. DeSantis won the primary and election, in part by rid...
