Florida Legislature
Given the continued breakneck pace of growth in Florida, we highly doubt that rogue local government regulators are roaming Florida, coming down like a ton of unjust bricks on the head of poor, persecuted developers. But you might be tempted…
The Florida Legislature is soon in session, and we’d like to think clean water will be atop the 2026 agenda. We’re not putting money on it, though, so we’ll be watching our lawmakers very closely this session – and we…
VoteWater and 37 other Florida conservation organizations are calling on the state Legislature to repeal key portions of Senate Bill 180, legislation signed into law earlier this year that effectively prohibits local governments from adopting measures to sensibly guide growth,…
We’re in what was supposed to be the final week of the Florida legislative session, but as of this writing the House and Senate budget proposals were still billions apart. That means the session will either be extended, or legislators…
Every year when the Florida legislative session convenes, we can expect a barrage of bad bills destined to coddle polluters, facilitate ever-more “sprawl” and restrict citizens’ rights to participate in decision-making. The 2025 session lives up — or down —…
A bill was filed last week in the Florida Senate that could be seen as a “good government” bill. It could also be seen as an attempt to cut spending on Everglades Restoration. Senate Proposed Bill 7002 would mandate greater…
For weeks Florida legislators have been meeting in committee, filing and debating bills and preparing for the official start of the 2025 Legislative Session on March 4. This session VoteWater’s Gil Smart will travel to Tallahassee to lobby for clean-water…
Award-winning photojournalist, writer, captain and friend to the clean-water cause Rusty Chinnis gives VoteWater a shout-out in the Anna Maria Island Sun: “What better resolution to adopt this New Year? Vote Water,” writes Chinnis. “The future of fishing, Florida’s natural…
Today is Day 13 of damaging discharges from Lake Okeechobee to the northern estuaries. On Instagram, our friends at Friends of the Everglades posted video of water rushing through the St. Lucie Lock and Dam with the caption “This is…
VoteWater’s “Dirty Money Project” is making news across the Sunshine State. First, Executive Director Gil Smart’s Oct. 4 op-ed in the Miami Herald explained how “dirty money” to dirty politicians is a root cause of dirty water. Then, just this…