Everglades Trust endorses Ron DeSantis over Andrew Gillum

The well-respected Everglades Trust has endorsed Ron DeSantis for governor, saying the Republican nominee is a champion for the Everglades and a candidate who has “walked the walk” when it comes to standing up to special interests, namely the sugar industry.

This is a significant victory for DeSantis, since Democrats usually try to cast themselves as the strongest advocates for the environment. Amid algae blooms and red tide, the environment is more important in this election than it has been in many elections, and the big endorsement should DeSantis reach out to voters who mainly know him as a top cheerleader for Donald Trump.

“The Everglades and coastal estuaries couldn’t care less about partisan politics, so the Trust doesn’t. They are in desperate need of a hero – and they found one in Ron DeSantis,” said Everglades Trust Executive Director Kimberly Mitchell.

“Ron understands the critical infrastructure projects that must be undertaken and expedited, with the ability to make them a top priority, and already has a track record of standing up to an industry that is physically and politically blocking the reconnection of Lake Okeechobee to the Everglades – Big Sugar.

“Floridians have had enough of rhetoric and broken promises from our politicians. ‘I will stand up to the special interests,’ is what we’re told in an election year. Well, we now have a politician who has actually walked the walk and for the millions who depend on a healthy Everglades, and all the critters who call them home, it could not come soon enough.”

The Trust was founded in 1994 by the late George Barley, a developer and crusader for Everglades protection.

Another environmental advocacy group, the Florida Conservation Voters, issued a statement standing up for Gillum:

“The only candidate with the leadership skills and vision to protect Florida’s environment is Mayor Andrew Gillum. Ron DeSantis has a lifetime environmental score of 2% from the League of Conservation Voters – that number speaks for itself. On every environmental issue, from protecting our waters and wetlands to acting on climate, he sides with polluters over people every time. Floridians shouldn’t be fooled by these recent attempts to greenwash himself. He can’t run away from his votes.”