Thank you so much. Because of Bullsugar supporters, the fight for clean water is on a new path.

A year ago we celebrated effort and possibilities. The passion of a few dedicated people pushed Florida’s water crises into the open and onto lawmakers’ priority lists. We had high hopes. Now we have high expectations.

Things are different today. People across the country care about Florida’s water and understand the problems and the solutions. In this election season there were consequences for political candidates who didn’t–maybe for the first time.

A year ago Adam Putnam and Matt Caldwell were picking out furniture for their cabinet offices, courtesy of the sugarcane industry. Bullsugar voters cancelled that order. Now, for the first time in years, key leaders in Tallahassee don’t owe their careers  to sugar billionaires.

A year ago human health wasn’t something the US Army Corps needed to consider before discharging pollution into our communities. Now the agency is bracing for federal legislation that requires the risk of toxic blooms to factor into their decisions–and that could change everything about how we manage water.

A year ago environmentalists urged Floridans to quietly accept that the EAA reservoir project we fought so hard for might be too small to cut toxic discharges or deliver enough clean water to Florida Bay. Now lawmakers and journalists are openly questioning the plans, giving us a better chance to make the most of this historic opportunity.

Today a clean water future looks achievable for everyone in South Florida, thanks largely to Bullsugar.org members. We couldn’t be more grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving.