2022 General - Voter Guide Ranking

2022 Clean Water Questionnaire Responses

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

• Question 1 : Yes
  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?

  Yes

  Candidate Comment:

  Yes Absolutely! As Stuart’s PDT Member for LOSOM, I have been integrally involved in the process. As it stands now LOSOM still sends the St Lucie harmful regulatory discharges when the lake is above 16.5ft. My and Stuarts stated goals are Zero regulatory discharges. I have and will continue to push for a lower lake level with the start of the wet season (June 1st). I and Stuart also oppose the LOSOM Lake Recovery mechanism as drafted. The Recovery plan may trigger un-attainable means for the Corps to lower the Lake after a high water year which may lead to a deviation from LOSOM as modeled and harmful discharges to the St Lucie and Caloosahatchee. I have had direct conversations about this with Lt Col Polk of the Army Corps as well as sent Stuart’s written position.Another way to send more water from Lake Okechobee South is to bring balance to the current and historical inequities between lake water and agricultural water being sent into the STA’s.. As it stands the STA’s treat agricultural runoff prior to lake water being aloud to flow into them. This prevents lake water from flowing south out of the lake, which in turn correlates to less storage capacity and more potential harm for my community. I have had direct conversations with SFWMD board members about this as well as Drew Bartlett. I intend to continue to raise the issue to the SFWMD of more lake water needing to flow into STA’s and less prioritization of agricultural runoff.

• 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:

  There are two incredibly important planning elements that make Martin County as well as the City of Stuart special. The first is our 4 story height limit. City of Stuart recently rejected a proposed loop hole in the 4 story limit during the Atlantic Point Marina proposal.The second key planning element in Martin County, is our Urban Services boundary which limits building in rural / at areas. The City of Stuart is entirely within this boundary and has 100% sewer Infrastructure run. I oppose the County adopting changes to the comprehensive plan such as the Rural Lifestyle future land use, that would “poke holes” in the Urban Services Boundary. I also am skeptical of Stuart allowing the annexation of Martin County Land into the City limits, without proper justification. This skepticism is documented with my opposition (4-1 vote) of the annexation of the Bridge View parcel locate at the intersection of Kanner and Indian st. I have spoken about keeping smart growth development within the urban service area of the Martin County to county commissioners and will continue to advocate for this principal.

• 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:

  Florida as whole needs increased mandated, verified and tested best management practices . I support moving past the current system in which three State agencies SFWMD, FDACS, and FDEP all can “pass the buck” in triangle of inefficiency. I support a system which would hold one agency accountable for regulating, testing and enforcing best management practices on industries and property owners.

• 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:

  Aggressive measure for increased water quality protections are essential. The City of Stuart is 100% sewer Infrastructure complete.this 10 year goal was finished in 8. While we cannot mandate septic to sewer conversion, in many situations elected officials must look for creative opportunities to do so. I took Advantage of such an opportunity when the South Wind Motel on US1 1, came before the commission to request a change from hotel to apartments (no density increase). The older hotel was still using septic for all units and is located one lot away from Frazier Creek, so I conditionalized the proposal on connecting to Stuart’s sewer system.I am very cognizant of our local storm water controls. I have frequently conditionalized votes on increased storm water protections and monitoring. Such as full native littoral planting around irregular shaped and properly slopped water retention areas, upgraded generation 2 baffle boxes with bio activated media to reduce nitrogen and phosphorous, or following Stuart’s landscape plan which does not use glyphosate. I am very interested in the Marine Resources Council’s push to add Low Impact Development standards into the building code of local governments. These standards are all abou various techniques used to retain stormwater onsite.I have and will continue to push water quality projects on public land. Such as the recently completed Shepard Park Improvements. During these upgrades Stuart worked with ORCA to add a buffered shoreline and have them monitor water quality off the park. We added rain gardens and removed about 1/2 acre of impervious concrete and replaced it with pervious concrete and reinforced turf parking spaces to reduce and pre-treat runoff. Stuart is currently working on a living and buffered shore line project at the end of Illinois ave.I look forward to creating a residential buffered shore line program within the City. I envision this program facilitating buffered shore line projects on private residential and commercial properties in the City to pre treat runoff. This program would be modeled off such programs as our septic to sewer conversion program or the residential shade tree program which I spearheaded this last spring.

• 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:

  Yes I have made this pledge for every campaign I have run and will absolutely stick to it. Further i have pledged not accept financial campaign support from professionals that routinely come before the City of Stuart Commission., this includes builders and developers, land use attorneys, land planners etc I chose to be beholden to the residents I serve and not special interests.