Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Won’t Close Fecal Polluted Beaches, Increasing Risks for Beachgoers

Despite widespread support for the “Safe Waterways Act,” DeSantis decided to veto the bill, a move that could potentially increase health risks for the state’s residents. This decision has left many to question why the governor would make such a consequential decision and risk the safety of the state’s residents. 

According to Max Chesnes, a reporter from the Tampa Bay Times, the proposed bill would have also accelerated the process of notifying locals of water quality issues as they arose. 

UCF Political Science Professor Aubrey Jewett explained, “Unfortunately, there are any number of beaches around the state of Florida that on any given day have high rates of pollution and pollution that could make people sick. Often what happens is, there’s fecal contamination.”

Anything that falls into the poor category should be “considered a potential health risk to the bathing public,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Researchers estimate that 57 million instances have occurred in the calendar year of people getting sick in the US from swimming in polluted waters.

Stormwater runoff, pets and wildlife, and human sewage often cause this type of bacteria. It poses a massive risk to swimmers who choose to cool off in those waters, provided the water temperature permits swimming that day.

While Florida would have been able to use tax dollars to better inform the public about beach closures, DeSantis’s veto means the responsibility falls onto the shoulders of local governments and those who want to enjoy the beach.

The wealth of wildlife has been transformed into public places that become submerged during storms. The Everglades hotels once looked over are now toxic industrial and construction waste bodies.

Ignoring the peril of poorly regulated industrial-scale farming, ranching, and development will only intensify the ongoing pollution crisis that could devastate the state and the entirety of the country.

“The Safe Waterways Act empowered the Department of Health or would have empowered the Department of Health to post concerns that they had when testing was coming back for certain things that would be in the water that were harmful to public safety, human health, whether that’s algae blooms, excessive fecal content, things of that nature,” DePaolis said.

DePaolis said Florida residents should “have the knowledge that they need to make a decision about what they’re going to do that day, where they’re going to go, and how they’re going to spend their time.”

The pair argued that the state would have the power to close beaches without consulting local governments, with DeSantis and Ladapo clearly preferring local control over mandates. 

He continued, “I have made water quality and protecting Florida’s natural resources a priority, and my administration will continue to do so, but this grant of power to DOH over Florida beaches is ill-advised.”

While the governor briefly closed beaches during the early stages, he later reopened them and declared Florida a “free” state. Some argue this led to a surge in COVID-19 infections and deaths associated with the illness. 

“He’s talked about water quality being a high priority, but at least on the face of it, this veto seems to go in the opposite direction because the fact is, unfortunately, there are any number of beaches around the state of Florida that on any given day, have high rates of pollution and pollution that could make people sick,” he said.

“Our water quality issues are not going to go away, and ignoring it is not going to solve the problem,” said Cross.

“I thought there was no way the governor would veto something that was sponsored by a bipartisan slate of elected officials with unanimous approval in both chambers that would protect people’s public health,” said Cross. 

Yet sacrificing the public’s health and safety to do so may result in further backlash for the Governor down the line. Critics continue to argue his decision has placed the necessity of local governance ahead of keeping people safe at public beaches across the state. 

His statement to FOX News in May echoes his 2022 statement that “I can’t control the climate. I’m not doing mandates on any of that.”

Rejecting climate change is one thing, but ignoring the fact that developers and industry—those creating the pollution contributing to marine contamination—champion bills that worsen the issue is confusing and hypocritical.

But when this call comes, will it be too late for Florida?

The updated act is asking to allocate an additional $5 million in funds to research and monitor more beaches along the state’s coast. Both Republicans and Democrats in Congress are supporting the bill and are hosting briefings on how coastal states can use the funds to keep people safe.

While stopping beach pollution at its source—repairing sewage systems and preventing runoff pollution—it is unclear if the state’s government will provide solutions to a problem that is affecting Floridians and the rest of the US.

However, the testing is not comprehensive. Some counties are more consistent with their testing for all their beaches while others are far less consistent.