2022 General - Voter Guide Ranking

2022 Clean Water Questionnaire Responses

To read each question, answer and candidate comments click below.

• Question 1 : No
  1) The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is finalizing the new Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM), and while the plan should reduce harmful discharges to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries, discharges will still occur when the level of the lake gets too high. Do you agree the Army Corps and the South Florida Water Management District must send more water south during the dry season in order to minimize the possibility of discharges and their impact on human health and the environment?

  No

  Candidate Comment:

  The routes East and West presently contain environmental impact of the pollution. Sending flow South would introduce new toxicity components to land/water supply of residents of Lee and Collier County. If this flow reaches the Everglades, the Gulf Stream will recirculate it North across all counties creating even more havoc.

• Question 2 : Yes
  2) Florida is booming, with an estimated 1,000 people moving here every day. As a result, development is pushing growth further into Florida’s rural and natural areas, imperiling wildlife and natural resources like clean water. Will you oppose changes to your county’s Comprehensive Plan/Urban Development Boundary that would allow non-agricultural development in rural areas outside the urban, most densely developed area(s) in your county?

  Yes

  Candidate Comment:

  As Commissioner, I would like to see Immokalee be redeveloped and improved for the betterment of that community. I do not agree with approving new towns and villages out East, but I do support the Immokalee CRA and sparking some economic and housing development for that community.

• Question 3 : Yes
  3) State legislation, FDEP data and the Blue-Green Algae Task Force all report agriculture as the dominant source of phosphorus and nitrogen within most impaired watersheds of Florida. Do you agree industries and property owners should be held to clearly enforceable pollution standards and penalties; including mandatory adoption and verification of best management practices, and to implement inspection programs targeting septic, agriculture and industrial wastewater?

  Yes

  Candidate Comment:

  I believe that it is every single persons responsibility to do their part to keep our water clean. We also need to educate the public on clean water practices so that they can do their part!

• Question 4 : Yes
  4) Key water bodies along the Florida coast, including the Indian River Lagoon and Biscayne Bay, are plagued by excess nutrient pollution which kills seagrass. This in turn has led to increased turbidity and reduced habitat essential for fish, birds, marine mammals, and other marine species. If elected, would you support aggressive measures to address water quality problems, including (but not limited to) a mandatory septic inspection program, increased investment in septic-to-sewer conversions and upgrades to municipal sewage treatment facilities, increased stormwater pollution controls and tougher fertilizer restrictions coupled with strict enforcement?

  Yes

  Candidate Comment:

  If elected, I will advocate on behalf of residents of Collier County in Tallahassee for grant funding needed for a septic to sewer conversion to help alleviate special assessment costs. I also am in support of a fertilizer ban and proposing an organic fertilizer ordinance just as the City of Naples has done.

• Question 5 : Yes
  5) Special interests in Florida spend lavishly to influence elections at the local, state and federal level. The sugar industry, phosphate mining industry and big utilities, among others, spend millions to aid candidates who then back their preferred legislation - too often, at the expense of clean water. Do you agree your campaign will accept no contributions from any source with ties to polluting industries including, but not limited to, the sugar, phosphate and utility industries?

  Yes

  Candidate Comment:

  I have made my position on "quid pro quo" very clear throughout my campaign. I do not accept funds from anyone or any entity in exchange for favors now or in the future. This is the same for builders, architects, developers etc. Before someone writes me a check, I make it very clear that their donation, regardless of amount, does not buy them the right to sway my decision making on county policy. I have no interest in special interest groups and do not entertain playing "politics".