DeSantis and the red tide

To the editor:

My letter highlighting Ron DeSantis’ shortcomings struck a nerve. Good: everyone should take a harder look at him. Politico recently reported that DeSantis’ Department of Management Services implemented rules, which violate the First Amendment, banning protests at the state Capitol unless groups are sponsored by a state official and their protest “aligns” with the administration’s mission.  

DeSantis also announced he will boycott MSNBC and NBC because anchor Andrea Mitchell dared to question his “Stop WOKE Act” which restricts teaching America’s racial history in grade school. This is the stuff of dictators.

As for DeSantis’ governance failures, let’s talk red tide. In 2018, candidate DeSantis promised that combating this scourge would be a top priority. At this moment, countless dead fish are washing up on Florida beaches from Clearwater to Marco Island. Residents and tourists are advised against swimming or visiting beaches due to respiratory problems caused by the algae.  What has DeSantis done since 2018? — provide money for study and remediation with nothing toward prevention. 

However, it is well-known that red tide is triggered by fertilizer-runoff into Lake Okeechobee from big DeSantis donors in the agriculture and sugar industries. DeSantis could ban phosphate fertilizers (rather than protesters or journalists), as was done with detergents decades ago, but that would be too ”woke” for him.

I already noted Florida’s insurance rates, which Forbes reported are the nation’s highest.  Following Hurricane Ian, DeSantis pushed through “reforms,” which included a $1 billion taxpayer bailout for insurers, steep rate increases for 1 million poor homeowners insured through the Citizen’s Property Insurance nonprofit and curtailed homeowners’ ability to sue. 

The last part eliminated Florida’s “one way” attorney’s fees statute whereby the loser pays the winner’s court expenses.  Now, it could be more expensive to sue than to take an insurer’s lowball offer. This is one of the most anti-homeowner laws imaginable.

Lastly, thousands of traffic signs, across multiple counties, remain unrepaired 6 months after Ian, a fundamental failure in administration.  Signs include life protecting devices (STOP, ONE WAY, DO NOT ENTER and YIELD) that NYCDOT fixes within three days. 

Joseph Cannisi