FLORIDA: Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam has a lot to say about water policy, but too much of it sounds the same. Putnam, widely expected to run for governor in 2018, deserves credit for a more far-sighted approach to water policy than our current governor. Yet his rhetoric and record suggest an unwillingness to ask Floridians to take the hard steps needed to protect water quality and quantity.
In recent speeches, Putnam called on the Legislature to pass comprehensive water legislation before Florida faces a California-style crisis.Putnam discussed enacting conservation measures, improving infrastructure and using reclaimed water more wisely, all important steps that must be taken. Yet he also suggested that no one needs to alter their behavior.“We can have lush lawns and great golf courses and conserve water,” Putnam said.
Such statements fail to match the scale of a problem that Putnam himself acknowledges. He told the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s Future of Florida Forum that our state will “face over a 1-billion-gallon-a-day shortfall by 2030,” as the News Service of Florida reported.He called on the state House and Senate to close “minor differences” on a water bill that failed to pass during this year’s regular session and not rehash debates about the bill.
