STATEWIDE – Noah Valenstein is resigning as secretary of Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection, effective June 4.

Valenstein, who has served in the role since 2017, notified Gov. Ron DeSantis of his intentions in a letter dated May 8, but the announcement didn’t come until Thursday.

Shawn Hamilton, deputy secretary for the Division of Land and Recreation, reportedly will become interim secretary.

Valenstein has spent much of the past several weeks working on and answering questions about Manatee County’s Piney Point, from where millions of gallons of untreated water were released near Port Manatee early last month. A few weeks later, Florida lawmakers approved $100 million to clean up and close the facility.  

In his letter to DeSantis, Valenstein said DEP and its partners under his watch have, among other things, “expedited critical Everglades restoration projects, employed sound science to protect and restore our waterways” and “funded infrastructure projects to improve our state’s coastal resiliency to climate change.”

He also wrote that he looked forward “to continuing to serve in the environmental community and am excited to see the next steps…”

DeSantis had retained Valenstein from the administration of former Gov. Rick Scott. He had been director of legislative affairs at the Everglades Foundation.

Upon DeSantis’ appointment of Valenstein, Audubon Florida Executive Director Julie Wraithmell said, according to the organization’s website: “This is a great move by Governor DeSantis for Florida’s environment. Secretary Valenstein is a Florida-grown conservationist and has the experience with the science and politics of Florida’s environment to make real progress for our state.”

She added: “Secretary Valenstein was a breath of fresh air when he arrived at DEP, and I can’t wait to see what he’ll accomplish in an administration with such a commitment to meeting Florida’s water and other conservation challenges.”