VoteWater, a South Florida clean-water advocacy group, has endorsed Steve Friedman in the Islamorada Village Council Seat 2 race.

Friedman is a backcountry fishing guide and the former Commodore of the Florida Keys Fishing Guides Association. He helped form Florida Bay Forever, served on the Islamorada Near Shore Water Regulation Committee and is a member of Captains for Clean Water

“Steve Friedman is a long-time friend to the clean-water cause and we’re proud to endorse him,” said Gil Smart, VoteWater Executive Director. “He understands how overdevelopment can wreck natural Florida, and how crucial clean water is to the economy of the Keys, and to Florida itself.”

Said Friedman: “As a small business owner raising a family in Islamorada, we treasure our Village’s quality of life. We want a local government that is efficient and fiscally responsible, provides quality public services, and protects our local waters from pollution and overdevelopment.”

A father of two college-age children, Friedman and his wife, Kristine, have lived in Islamorada for more than 25 years.

“From our very first council meeting when we strongly opposed overturning the previous council’s decision on building permits by more than doubling them, to our proposed resolution last summer opposing the billion-dollar ‘Alligator Alcatraz” boondoggle in the heart of The Everglades, our focus has been guarding against overdevelopment and protecting our waters,” said Friedman.

Headquartered in Stuart, VoteWater is a 501(c)(4) organization which works to empower Floridians to demand clean water and political accountability. The organization’s recently published “Dirty Money Project” tracks political giving by Big Sugar and other polluting special interests to south Florida politicians.