Jacob Ogles
Decades of debate over the future of the Rodman-Kirkpatrick Dam in Marion County haven’t ended yet.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, apparently in response to pleas from Ocala area fishermen, nixed $6.25 million in funding for Ocklawaha River Restoration. That plan to restore the Ocklawaha River’s natural flow would controversially have eliminated the Rodman Reservoir, which was created after the erection of the Rodman dam in 1968.
The Legislature agreed earlier this month to funding the restoration plan, a win for environmentalists who advocated for years to reopen the dam and restore the Ocklawaha, the primary tributary running into the St. Johns River, Florida’s longest riverway.
But fisherman long defended the dam, which was renamed the Rodman-Kirkpatrick dam in 1998 after since deceased Sen. George Kirkpatrick, a Republican who represented the region for 20 years and long fought to preserve the structure.
The topic of the dam’s future long proved divisive, and DeSantis’ veto was welcomed by some lawmakers.
“Thank you to Governor Ron DeSantis for his veto of the legislative funding request that would have essentially destroyed the Rodman Reservoir and quality of life in our surrounding communities,” said Sen. Tom Leek, an Ormond Beach Republican.
“A great deal of work went into this. Thank you also to the Putnam County Board of County Commissioners and all of those local families and businesses who mobilized to save the Reservoir. I look forward to supporting our unique recreational and economic activity here in Senate District 7 as well as enjoying its cultural and historical significance.”
A report funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts in April made the case more would be gained by re-opening the waterways than continuing to maintain the dam.
“Breaching the dam would benefit public safety by eliminating flood hazards associated with the high-hazard dam and providing non-structural flood protection in the form of a 7,500-acre restored floodplain forest,” the report reads.
Sen. Jason Brodeur, a Lake Mary Republican, told the Daily Commercial the regional ecosystem would benefit from the restoration project.
“This riverway of national and state significance can now flow free from Silver Springs to the Atlantic Ocean, allowing fish, wildlife and people to travel this historic system,” he told the Leesburg newspaper.
But ultimately, DeSantis was swayed by supporters of keeping the current waterway system intact.
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Gabrielle Russon contributed to this report.
