Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently reappointed Indian River Citrus League (IRCL) Executive Vice President Doug Bournique to a fifth four-year term on the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) Governing Board. According to IRCL, being reappointed to a fifth term is “unprecedented in the history of the water management district.”
“There remains so much more to do in supporting water farming, the reconnection of the South Florida and St. Johns River Water Management districts, along with supporting a vigorous agricultural, cost-share program for all ag producers,” Bournique said. He added that those actions help to ensure a healthier St. Johns River and Indian River Lagoon.
SJRWMD Executive Director Mike Register called Bournique “a longtime advocate for the protection of the Indian River Lagoon and the St. Johns River.” He added that Bournique has also worked “to ensure Florida’s agricultural industry remains resilient.”
Bournique, who has served on the water board under three governors since 2008, became an advocate of dispersed storage (water farming), which has multiple projects in operation in South Florida and the SJRWMD. He said water farming increases water storage and reduces discharge to both the east and west coast of Florida, which reduces the impact on Florida’s estuaries and lagoons.
Reconnection of the South Florida and St. Johns River water management districts, which he advocates, would allow water to flow north-south, rather than east into the Indian River Lagoon. Water flowing into the lagoon damages grass beds and harms marine life in the lagoon.
Bournique is the longest-serving executive of a citrus trade association in Florida. The IRCL was founded in 1931 and represents growers on the east coast of Florida in the Indian River growing district.
He also represents the agricultural community by serving on the Indian River Lagoon Council and the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council.
Source: IRCL
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