FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — A bill that would've given farmers priority over how to use water from Lake Okeechobee was ultimately vetoed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis, who said back in February SB 2508 "derails progress" toward Everglades restoration, announced the decision at a news conference Wednesday in Fort Myers Beach.
"We want to continue going on the path that we set out in January of 2019 and we don't want anything to derail us from that," DeSantis said.
In the state's budget that the governor signed last week, there's $1.2 billion that is going toward Everglades restoration and water resources investments.
"That is far and away the best that we've ever done...," he explained.
If the bill would've been signed by the governor, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) would have been required to make recommendations to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that won't diminish the amount of water available to "existing legal users."
But along with DeSantis, many groups were opposed to the bill, as well.
In February, groups of fishing guides and environmental advocates spoke against the bill, saying it was intended to protect sugar farmers who have land south of the lake during a Senate Appropriations Committee meeting, Florida Politics reported.
When nutrient-rich water from the lake is shunted to the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, it can lead to more frequent algae blooms that kill sea life. Allowing the water to flow south through the Everglades can reduce that pollution.
Another group that voiced its displeasure with the bill is the agency mentioned in it. During a governing board meeting in February, members of the SFWMD were displeased that lawmakers didn't consult them.
"I was a little bit surprised to hear of the filing of the bill 2508..., sort of in the dark of night," SFWMD Vice Chairman Scott Wagner said previously.
Wagner added that SFWMD was "left in the dark" on the bill which directly affects their operations.
Watch the full Wednesday news conference down below.