Democrats love claiming Republicans don't care about the environment.
That talking point gets trotted out every election cycle like clockwork.
But Ron DeSantis just shut down the Left's biggest lie about Republicans with one historic $30 million announcement.
Florida's $100 Million Milestone Proves Actions Trump Rhetoric
Ron DeSantis stood in North Miami Beach this week and dropped a bombshell that has environmental groups scrambling to rewrite their attack playbooks.
The Florida Governor announced nearly $30 million in new grants for Biscayne Bay restoration and coral reef protection.
That brings Florida's total investment in Biscayne Bay to $100 million since 2021.¹
Not bad for a Governor the Left claims doesn't care about the planet.
The funding breaks down to $20 million for eight water quality projects across Miami-Dade County — including septic-to-sewer conversions and wastewater improvements — plus another $9.5 million for 11 coral reef restoration initiatives.²
"Protecting and restoring Florida's waterways is essential to our way of life," DeSantis told the crowd at Florida International University's Biscayne Bay campus. "What we've already done has made a difference. People are very pleased with that, but we're not done."³
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1998507756462981364?s=20
Translation: While Democrats talk about the environment, DeSantis actually fixes it.
The coral reef funding targets Florida's only living barrier reef in the continental United States, with a goal of restoring 25% of it by 2050.⁴
Projects will go to Mote Marine, the University of Miami, Florida Atlantic University, and other institutions actually doing the work instead of just virtue signaling about it.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Alexis Lambert spelled out what this really means for regular Floridians.
"The Bay supports millions of Floridians, including one of the busiest cruise ports in the world, and it plays a vital role in the health of Florida's coral reef," Lambert explained.⁵
That's real environmental protection with real economic benefits for working families — not pie-in-the-sky Green New Deal fantasies.
DeSantis Puts His Money Where Democrats Put Their Mouths
The $30 million announcement represents the latest chapter in what's become an undeniable record of actual environmental achievement.
Since taking office in 2019, DeSantis has committed a jaw-dropping $8 billion to Everglades restoration and water quality improvements.⁶
Let that number sink in for a moment.
Eight billion dollars.
That's more than the previous 12 years combined under both Republican and Democrat governors.⁷
On his second day in office back in 2019, DeSantis issued an executive order committing $2.5 billion over four years for water quality and Everglades projects.
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1998453632304582906?s=20
He exceeded that goal in his first term, investing $3.3 billion.⁸
The South Florida Water Management District has completed 80 restoration projects under his watch.⁹
Annual nutrient reduction totals have reached over 1.8 million pounds of nitrogen and 770,000 pounds of phosphorus removed from Florida's waterways.¹⁰
South Florida's water storage capacity has tripled to 176 billion gallons.¹¹
These aren't abstract talking points or virtue signals — they're measurable results that actually improve people's lives.
DeSantis recently celebrated the grand opening of the Caloosahatchee Reservoir, a 10,000-acre project that improves water quality, protects coastal ecosystems, and expands water storage capacity.¹²
The state has funded more than 1,174 projects statewide to reduce harmful nutrients.¹³
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1998422167718093078?s=20
And Florida's doing it all while Democrats scream about climate change and do absolutely nothing to address the actual environmental problems regular Americans care about.
The results speak for themselves — clean water, protected wildlife, restored ecosystems, and a booming economy.
That's what happens when you focus on solving real problems instead of pushing radical agendas that would destroy American energy independence and cripple working families with skyrocketing costs.
Democrats have built their entire environmental pitch around fear-mongering and virtue signaling while Republicans like DeSantis deliver actual results that improve the quality of life for millions of Americans.
¹ Gabrielle Russon, "Gov. DeSantis announces $30M grants to protect Biscayne Bay, coral reef," Florida Politics, December 9, 2025.
² Governor Ron DeSantis, "Governor Ron DeSantis Awards Over $29 Million for Biscayne Bay Water Quality Improvement Projects and Coral Reef Restoration," Executive Office of the Governor, December 9, 2025.
³ Briana Trujillo, "DeSantis announces nearly $30M in grants for Biscayne Bay, coral reef restoration," NBC Miami, December 9, 2025.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Gabrielle Russon, "Gov. DeSantis announces $30M grants to protect Biscayne Bay, coral reef," Florida Politics, December 9, 2025.
⁶ Governor Ron DeSantis, "Governor Ron DeSantis Celebrates Grand Opening of C-43 Reservoir," Executive Office of the Governor, 2025.
⁷ Governor Ron DeSantis, "Governor Ron DeSantis Celebrates Continued Everglades Restoration Momentum," Executive Office of the Governor, 2025.
⁸ Ibid.
⁹ WWSB, "DeSantis announces $29.5 million for Biscayne Bay and coral reef restoration," December 9, 2025.
¹⁰ Governor Ron DeSantis, "Governor Ron DeSantis Celebrates Continued Everglades Restoration Momentum," Executive Office of the Governor, 2025.
¹¹ Ibid.
¹² Governor Ron DeSantis, "Governor Ron DeSantis Celebrates Grand Opening of C-43 Reservoir," Executive Office of the Governor, 2025.
¹³ WWSB, "DeSantis announces $29.5 million for Biscayne Bay and coral reef restoration," December 9, 2025.
