The last Democratic governor of Florida — more than three decades ago — signed a law in Florida that would initiate the largest environmental restoration effort in American history. In the 30 years since, it’s the Republicans in Florida who have delivered on that promise, and the results are astounding. The incredible impact of the Everglades Forever Act of 1994 shatters one of the biggest myths in American politics: that conservatives can’t lead on conservation.
My family immigrated legally to the United States from Peru when I was nine years old. As an immigrant who made America — and Florida — my home, I believe that stewardship of this country’s resources and natural beauty isn’t a “progressive” value, but an expression of patriotism. Conservatives believe in protecting what we inherit and making it better for the next generation. America’s natural treasures should be no exception.
The Florida Everglades is key among them. Known as the “River of Grass,” slow-moving water flows from Orlando, into Lake Okeechobee and down to the southern end of the peninsula. It’s a wildlife haven where deer and bobcats roam, alligators and crocodiles coexist, manatees glide, and great blue herons soar.
The Florida Everglades today is far different from what Native Americans experienced and early European explorers discovered centuries ago. Population growth and development in the Sunshine State significantly altered the region and, therefore, the flow of water, which severely threatened the ecosystem.
The Everglades Forever Act recognized that the “Everglades ecological system is endangered as a result of adverse changes in water quality, and in the quantity, distribution and timing of flows, and, therefore, must be restored and protected.”
What’s unique about the law is its approach to restoration. The program recognized the important role farmers in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) play in stewarding the land and protecting the water resources. The law requires farmers to meet certain water quality standards that would benefit the entire region. South Florida farmers have not only met the expectations set forth in the Everglades Forever Act, but far exceeded them.
The South Florida Water Management District, a governing body of directors appointed by the Governor to oversee the health of water resources in the region, announced recently that Florida farmers in the EAA achieved a 65% reduction in phosphorus. That’s far more than the 25% reduction required by the Everglades Forever Act. And it’s not a one-off year. In fact, the annual average phosphorus reduction for the last 30 years stands at 57%.
Since 1996, South Florida farmers have prevented 5,111 metric tons of phosphorus from heading south. That’s equivalent to two Olympic-sized swimming pools or roughly 280 fully loaded semi trucks. Today, 95% of the Florida Everglades is meeting the strict 10-parts-per-billion water quality standard required under federal law — cleaner than a bottle of water from the store.
Florida’s farmers have accomplished these milestones through proactive efforts, science-based practices, and the investment of a lot of time and financial resources. But they’re not alone. Florida’s conservative leaders have made environmental matters a priority, making significant investments to accelerate the restoration of the Everglades.
During his eight years in office, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) invested billions in environmental restoration projects and has partnered with local communities and the federal government on environmental initiatives, treating conservation as compatible with prosperity rather than an obstacle to it.
DeSantis’s impressive legacy is proof that conservation and conservatism aren’t mutually opposed concepts. States can protect the environment through incentive-based, business-friendly policies as opposed to relying on overreaching government regulations.
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For too long, Republicans have allowed Democrats to unilaterally define conservation as a false political choice between economic growth and environmental protection. Florida offers a different message: Conservation and capitalism can coexist. Farmers are key partners. Stewardship strengthens the conservative movement. States can improve their environmental record while supporting business. Florida has proven that conservative governance can deliver measurable, market-based conservation solutions, and this alternative can — and should — serve the Republican model for environmental leadership going forward.
I still remember what it felt like to first step onto American soil as a nine-year-old from Peru. I didn’t yet understand everything this country would come to mean to me, but I knew I had been given an extraordinary opportunity. Today, as an American citizen and a Floridian, I want to help preserve that opportunity — and the land that welcomed my family — for the Americans who come after us. Florida has shown that we don’t have to choose between prosperity and preservation. Conservatives can lead on both. It is time Republicans stopped conceding the environmental conversation and started leading it.
Vanessa Faura leads political programs and partnerships for Restoration of America. A Florida resident and immigrant to the United States, she previously worked at the Republican National Committee and in conservative policy networks, where she focused on advancing conservative public policy.