Estus Whitfield

This week, Brett shares some time with friend and Florida’s Environmental Curmudgeon-in-Chief, Estus Whitfield. Estus has a wealth of experience working for SIX Florida governors where he played an integral role in the creation of the Save Our Everglades, Save Our Rivers, and Preservation 2000 programs – just to name a few. In addition to his service to Florida, he also spent over thirty years serving his country in the Florida National Guard, U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Navy Reserves where he retired at the rank of Captain.

Estus offers a unique perspective from his time serving so many governors and provides his thoughts on them; the dawn of widespread environmental restoration programs; some thoughts on current water quality issues related to septic tanks; and his somewhat pessimistic view of the future of the environment in Florida.

Agree or disagree – Estus is never shy about his thoughts, pulls few punches, and is always generous with his time. We hope you enjoy the conversation.

To find out more about the Save Our Everglades Program and other Everglades restoration initiatives, head here

To learn about the history of the Preservation 2000 (P2000) land acquisition program, head here

To learn more about the Conservation and Recreational Lands (CARL) program, go here:

Because we know you want more Boggy, Florida history:

This episode of Water for Fighting is brought to you by my friends at Sea and Shoreline.

Sea and Shoreline is the Southeast’s leading innovator in protecting coastal communities from devastating storms and restoring ecosystems that once faced ecological collapse. Visit their website at www.Seaandshoreline.com.

This Episode is also thanks to my friends at Resource Environmental Solutions.

RES is the nation’s leader in ecological restoration, helping to restore Florida’s natural resources with water quality and stormwater solutions that offer communities guaranteed performance and outcomes. Check them out at www.res.us

Please be sure to check out the Florida Specifier Podcast hosted by Ryan Matthews and myself as part of a new venture where we’re striving to become Florida’s first source for environmental news, educational tools, and unique perspectives on our state’s natural environment and the events that shape it. To learn more about its flagship print publication and more, visit The Florida Specifier.

You can follow the show on LinkedIn and Instagram @flwaterpod, and you can reach me directly at [e-mail] with your comments and suggestions for who and/or what you’d like to know more about.

Production of this podcast is by Lonely Fox Studios. Thanks to Karl Sorne for making the best of what he had to work with. And to David Barfield for the amazing graphics and technical assistance.

And finally, a very special thank you goes out to Bo Spring from the Bo Spring Band for giving permission to use his music for this podcast. The song is called Doing Work for Free, and you should check out the band live, or wherever great music is sold.