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Articles by: Gil Smart

Who’s running in 2026? We’ve got the list (so far)

June 10, 2025

The 2026 elections may seem a long way off, but all across Florida candidates and potential candidates are already making their pitch to donors – and soon enough they’ll take it to voters, i.e. you. So check out our listing…

HUGE questions about Southland rock mine at SFWMD meeting

June 6, 2025

The Southland rock mine proposal, on 8,600 acres of Palm Beach County farmland owned by US Sugar and Okeelanta Corp. (Florida Crystals), has been sailing through the county and state approval process. But at the South Florida Water Management District…

Big, beautiful… benefit to Big Sugar

June 5, 2025

Reconciliation bill looks like another giveaway to the sugar industry Federal lawmakers still haven’t passed a new, updated Farm Bill. But some agricultural programs look like they’ll be part of President Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill” — including, you guessed…

Big Sugar’s rock mine gets key DEP permit; but is there a ‘public benefit?’

June 3, 2025

Even as opponents of the Southland rock mine (including VoteWater’s Gil Smart, above) were gathered in Belle Glade last Thursday to speak out on the proposal, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection issued a “Notice of Intent” to issue the…

Palm Beach Commissioners took sugar money. Then they voted to approve Big Sugar’s rock mine

May 27, 2025

Last week Palm Beach County Commissioners voted to approve the rezoning request for the Southland rock mine on 8,600 acres in the Everglades Agricultural Area owned by U.S. Sugar and Florida Crystals. VoteWater’s Gil Smart (above) was one of more…

VoteWater’s testimony against Southland rock mine

May 27, 2025

Below is the text of VoteWater Executive Director Gil Smart’s comments during the May 22 Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners meeting, where commissioners approved the Southland rock mine rezoning request. Smart will also speak against the rock mine…

The people win. Sneaky government (and developers) lose

May 20, 2025

We were all set to get you riled up about the proposed Guana Preserve land swap. That audacious and obnoxious proposal involved the state trading 600 acres of the state-owned Guana River Wildlife Management Area in northeast Florida to some…

An open letter to Gov. DeSantis: EAA rock mine could destroy your legacy

May 15, 2025

Dear Gov. DeSantis: You’ve been called “America’s Everglades Governor.” Since you took office in 2019, Florida has allocated record funding for Everglades restoration projects. This spending has helped generate significant momentum, spurring progress on key CERP components, including what you’ve…

DEEP DIVE: Could EAA rock mine trigger toxic trouble?

May 7, 2025

Never look a gift horse in the mouth. Promoters are trying to pass off a proposed rock mine in the Everglades Agricultural Area as a gift horse in the form of a sometime-in-the-future environmental project. But this old nag needs…

Now available: VoteWater’s 2024 Annual Report

May 6, 2025

The year 2024 was a big one for VoteWater. We published our landmark Dirty Money Project, helped stop plans to develop Florida’s state parks, fought Lake O discharges, backed clean-water candidates and more. You can read all about our achievements, and…

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