2022 General - Voter Guide Ranking

2022 Clean Water Questionnaire Responses

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

• Question 1 : Yes
  1) In response to blue-green algae blooms on Florida's east coast and red tide on the west coast, the State created the Blue-Green Algae and Harmful Algal Bloom/Red Tide Task Forces to study the problem and propose solutions. But only a few of the task forces' recommendations have been adopted. Do you support full implementation of all task force recommendations, including verification/testing of agricultural Best Management Practices and requiring the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to adopt EPA guidelines for blue-green algae toxins as new water quality standards in Florida?

  Yes

  Candidate Comment:

  A recent report demonstrated that only 13% of the common-sense recommendations made by the Blue-Green Algae Task Force have been implemented. While additional funding for water quality projects has been directed and was largely from federal funding, it pales in comparison to the backlog of wastewater, stormwater, and septic conversion projects needed to adequately protect our water and the health of our community members.

• Question 2 : Yes
  2) The degradation of water quality throughout Florida has in turn led to a significant decline in seagrass, the primary food source for manatees. Starvation became the leading cause of manatee deaths in 2021 and continues today. Despite this, in 2022 the Florida Legislature passed measures which could actually increase nutrient pollution in our waters, and debated a seagrass "mitigation banking" bill that some experts believe could cause a further decline in seagrass. If elected, will you vote against all legislative proposals that could add to the nutrient load in our waters or which in any way could inflict further harm on our seagrasses?

  Yes

  Candidate Comment:

  Nutrient loading, particularly in our coastal estuaries, has resulted in the death of tens of thousands of acres of seagrass. During my 14-years at the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, we work cooperatively with business, industry, agriculture, government, and community members to reduce pollution and naturally restore seagrass to levels not observed since the 1950s. Unfortunately, increased pollution, including the disastrous spill of nutrient-rich water from Piney Point in 2021, has led to a regress of both water clarity and seagrass coverage. The only way to restore seagrass is to reduce nutrients from all sources.

• Question 3 : Yes
  3) State legislation, FDEP data and the Blue-Green Algae Task Force all report that agriculture is the dominant source of phosphorus and nitrogen within impaired watersheds in Florida. Yet the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ best management practices (BMP) program remains voluntary, BMPs have never been field verified to reduce pollution, the state does little to no testing to verify compliance and agricultural producers enrolled in BMPs are afforded the "presumption of compliance." Do you agree industries and property owners should be held to enforceable pollution standards; that BMPs should be mandatory; that the "presumption of compliance" should end and regulators should implement systemic inspection/testing programs?

  Yes

  Candidate Comment:

  Agriculture should be held to a similar standard as other polluters. The passage of SB1000, which allows additional application of nutrients on citrus without monitoring or other mitigation measures, is particularly troubling and this practice may be expanded to other agricultural commodities.

• Question 4 : Yes
  4) Currently, Florida's largest water users are allowed to extract millions of gallons of water each day without paying anything to the state for the use of our most precious natural resource. Over-pumping has harmed Florida's springs, rivers, estuaries and aquifers and cost Florida taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. Do you support a reasonable fee on permitted water withdrawals to offset the damage caused by over-pumping?

  Yes

  Candidate Comment:

  Clean, fresh water is one of Florida's most precious public resources and should be valued accordingly.

• 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