DeSantis delivered on most of his promise to fight red tide

Red tide, harmful algal blooms that commonly occur on Florida's Gulf Coast, killed more than 2,400 tons of animals in the 2018 red tide and cost the tourism industry roughly $184 million.

The problem was so severe that when Ron DeSantis ran for governor, he pledged to "find solutions to the unprecedented red tides in southwest Florida" and issue an executive order "re-establishing a task force" dedicated to researching and reporting "the causes and solutions to Florida's red tide crisis." 

A single-celled alga species called Karenia brevis, which feeds on nitrogen and phosphorus, causes red tide. The National Ocean Service reports that red tide, which occurs when colonies of these algae grow out of control, can produce toxic effects that can harm people, fish, shellfish, marine mammals and birds. "Red tide is a naturally occurring event off the coast of southwest Florida, but the length and severity of this crisis is unprecedented," read DeSantis' campaign website. "It is imperative Florida finds the underlying cause to this event and works to implement an appropriate solution."

DeSantis has delivered on most of his promise. His biggest action came in June 2019, when he signed into law a sweeping legislative package allocating $3 million annually to the Florida Red Tide Mitigation and Technology Development Initiative, a research partnership between Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Mote Marine Laboratory. That same year, DeSantis helped create the Center for Red Tide Research at the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. 

In May, DeSantis allocated almost $14 million more to red tide research, bringing the grand total devoted to fighting the problem to $40 million since he took office. Statewide sampling for the algae has increased by 68% in the last four years, according to DeSantis' office; offshore sampling has doubled. 

DeSantis' press secretary also pointed to 2020's SB 712 as affecting red tide. The legislation enacted several reforms recommended by the Blue-Green Algae Task Force to curb nutrient pollution, which can worsen existing red tide.

"I think the first step to solving a problem is understanding the problem and you have to know what you're dealing with," said Matt DePaolis, environmental policy director at the nonprofit Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation. 

He pointed to a recent study by the foundation and the University of Florida that showed how nitrogen from human sources, such as chemicals from farming, factories and sewage treatment plants, can exacerbate red tide. DePaolis says the next step is working on controlling those factors. Mitigation is the public-facing side of red tide, tamping down its effects, he said, but prevention also matters. 

"When you have a red tide, the only thing you can think about in that moment is how do we clean this up?" he said. "The problem is that, when you don't have a red tide, that's when the real work can be done."

Based on the consistent funding for red tide research and DeSantis' specification to start a task force, we rate this Promise Kept.