It is good to see the strong reaction against our anti-environment governor’s veto of restoration of the Ocklawaha.
OSFR has long-supported the restoration of this river.
The Gainesville Sun does not provide a link to this article, but here is a link to the Leesburg Daily Commercial.
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum
Fight re-strengthens to restore Ocklawaha’s flow post-DeSantis veto
The Kirkpatrick Dam was built in 1968 as part of the Cross-Florida Barge Canal project, built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It created the Rodman Reservoir by blocking the Ocklawaha River. Engineers say it’s in potentially dangerous disrepair, and scientists say it’s not worth the upkeep and that it does more harm than good to the ecosystem. Julie Garisto/usa today network
After a veto setback this week, proponents of restoring the natural flow of the Ocklawaha River are not standing down in their fight to dismantle the Rodman Dam.
As fishermen in the Rodman Reservoir and members of the Save the Rodman Reservoir cheered on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ veto, environmental activists, citizens, anglers and fishing-related businesses throughout the region have reacted with renewed vigor toward galvanizing another effort to restore the north central Florida river.
In case you missed it, DeSantis, during his signing ceremony in The Villages on June 30, vetoed the Florida Legislature-approved $6.25 million in funding for the state Department of Environmental Protection to research and initiate restoring the flow of the Ocklawaha River.
The initiative to free the Ocklawaha has met opposition from fans of the reservoir that essentially would be washed away if the 74-mile river were to be restored.
The reservoir has been blamed for drowning freshwater springs and weakening the river, the primary tributary of the state’s largest river, the St. Johns, which flows north past Jacksonville into the Atlantic Ocean.
Since 1968, the Kirkpatrick Dam has blocked the flow from the Ocklawaha River — which originates in Lake Griffin, part of the Harris chain of lakes in Lake County and flows northward — and eventually joins the St. Johns River near Palatka.
The dam in the Ocala National Forest, 31 miles north of the city of Ocala and 27 miles southwest of Palatka, is a throwback to what’s widely regarded a mid-20th century legislative disaster, the construction of the Cross Florida Barge Canal, a project by the Army Corps of Engineers to cut a canal system through the state of Florida.
President Lyndon Johnson promoted the completion of the Cross Florida Barge Canal in 1968. President Richard Nixon canceled its upkeep in 1971, but the Kirkpatrick Dam stayed on life support, thanks to lawmakers, sportsmen and lobbyists.
Anthony Sabatini, a Republican Lake County Commissioner, spoke out on Facebook about removing the dam, calling it ‘a terrible project that should be torn down.’
‘Support for restoring the Ocklawaha is broad, bipartisan and deeply rooted in science.’
—Nina Bhattacharyya, executive director of Florida Defenders of the Environment
Since the dam was installed, 150 million gallons of fresh water have been blocked from the St. Johns River a day and 20 springs, and it forces periodic pollution into the St. Johns, which has suffered catastrophic algae blooms and lost critical eelgrass, a food source for fish and other wildlife.
Supporters for restoration insist that restoring natural freshwater flow from the Ocklawaha to the lower St. Johns River will promote native fish populations and vital habitat from the river’s headwaters to the Atlantic coast.
‘The veto is a setback, but it doesn’t change how much we care about our local waters,’ Sam Carr, 60-year St. John’s River resident based in Putnam County and avid fisherman, said in a press release from the Great Florida Riverway Trust, a regional group of business-minded leaders advocating on behalf of freeing the Ocklawaha, neighboring communities and wildlife conservation.
Carr maintains that DeSantis’ veto signals that there’s more work needed to bring leaders and river communities together to create a vision and plan.
‘Whether it’s casting a line in the St. Johns or venturing up the Ocklawaha, this river system is part of who we are,’ Carr proclaimed.
‘We love the outdoors and want to see these places thrive, not just for us, but for the next generation. We’ll keep showing up, speaking out, and working together for a future that benefits our rivers and Putnam County.’
Paul Nosca, known as ‘The Ocklawahaman,’ has worked in the state capitol and manages a group on Facebook that focuses on the river ecology and recreation. He wrote an open apology letter to his readers because he was convinced that freeing the Ocklawaha was a ‘done deal’ and was surprised by the veto.
‘I did think that I knew how to read and interpret government documents after my years of working as an administrator for a state-wide-elected Cabinet officer in Tallahassee,’ he admitted to the Daily Commercial.
‘Every once in a while, I saw Gov. Chiles or Gov. Bush at the Capitol building. Both Treasurer Tom Gallagher and Treasurer Bill Nelson discussed the Ocklawaha River issue with me in the Treasurer Management Information Center (TMIC) mainframe computer room, and they both voted for partial restoration along with Chiles and Bush as members of the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund of Florida.
‘I didn’t anticipate what happened yesterday. I have heard a rumor that Gov. DeSantis might want the Ocklawaha issue addressed in the Legislature as a separate bill, not part of an appropriations bill, to ensure that a majority is for restoration. We’ll see next year if there are any ‘legs’ to this rumor. I reckon that I’ll get back to my Ocklawaha River subtropical jungle bass fishing again!’
Some on social media have questioned how DeSantis could join Attorney General James Uthmeier and Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson in protecting 76,000 acres within the Ocala-to-Osceola Wildlife Corridor but deny the natural flow of the Ocklawaha and St. Johns rivers would be part and parcel to that conservation effort.
According to Florida Politics, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation lobby group actively opposes removing the dam and restoring the Ocklawaha River, emphasizing the negative impact it would have on the successful Rodman Reservoir fishery and the economic contributions of freshwater fishing in Florida. The organization sent a letter to DeSantis arguing for the reservoir’s preservation.
Who else has had the governor’s ear?
State Sen. Tom Leek, an Ormond Beach Republican, expressed his thanks to DeSantis for vetoing the funding.
Leek, according to multiple sources, extolled the veto and credited the dam for protecting the reservoir and the quality of life in surrounding communities. He acknowledged Putnam County commissioners and local families and businesses who advocated for the reservoir.
The economic benefits of restoring the river are ‘substantial,’ according to Margaret Spontak, president of the Great Florida Riverway Trust.
‘A January 2025 report by subject matter experts projects that restoration and related infrastructure improvements will yield approximately $200 million in net benefits over 20 years, generating more than $2 for every $1 invested,’ she said.
About 25 Putnam County businesses and organizations expressed their support in a joint letter: ‘Investments in restoration and related infrastructure — such as boat ramps and docks for boating, fishing, manatee viewing, swimming and paddling — will promote a more prosperous Putnam County.’
Nina Bhattacharyya, executive director of Florida Defenders of the Environment, lamented the news after ‘decades of tireless advocacy’ in a June 30 statement.
‘We came closer than ever to restoring the Ocklawaha River,’ she said. ‘The coalition launched by Marjorie Harris Carr and carried forward by FDE is stronger than ever. …The movement to free the Ocklawaha has always been long, but we’re not backing down.’
In her letter, Bhattacharyya highlighted the Rodman Dam’s condition, describing it as ‘aging, unsafe, and out of step with Florida’s future.’
Her group, she said, has exposed its deficiencies through rigorous analysis of state safety inspection and will ‘redouble efforts to shine a spotlight on the risks and hold decision-makers accountable.’
The dam disrupts manatee migration, she and others have claimed (with vehement disagreement from Save the Rodman Reservoir). She also said the Kirkpatrick Dam contributes to the loss of eelgrass in vital fish habitats and alters natural flow patterns that affect the health of Silver Springs.
‘It disrupts vital species movement along the Florida Wildlife Corridor, especially for aquatic and wetland-dependent wildlife. These threats strike at the heart of FDE’s mission to preserve what the late Gov. Bob Graham called ‘the best of our State.’’
Support for restoring the Ocklawaha, she added, is ‘broad, bipartisan and deeply rooted in science.’
Linda Myers, former Putnam County commissioner, tax collector and chamber of commerce president, expressed her disappointment but remains hopeful.
‘The ’Call to Action’ is for us to stay engaged and ensure that the voices of the Ocklawaha River and Rodman Reservoir communities shape future restoration efforts,’ Myers said.
What are some ways Free the Ocklawaha supporters can move forward?
Ocklawaha advocate and boat captain Erika Ritter, who owns the charter A Cruising Down the River, suggested to the Daily Commercial that the reservoir-promoting fishermen with no education in marine science cede the floor and that the science attesting to the healthy restoration of the river be more accessible to the public:
‘We need more correct science studies showing in public places.’
