Politics

Florida Attorney General: Why This Race Matters

April 16, 2026

Florida’s Attorney General is the state’s top law enforcement officer, charged with fighting corruption, protecting consumers, and holding the powerful accountable. That’s what makes the 2026 race between Republican James Uthmeier and Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez so extraordinary: Uthmeier, the…

Lagoon funding lags – and manatees pay the price

April 9, 2026

For the Florida Legislature to fully fund the Indian River Lagoon Protection Program in the upcoming budget session is more than a matter of state leaders fulfilling a promise; it’s a matter of life and death… for thousands of manatees.…

VoteWater endorses Jose Javier Rodriguez for Florida Attorney General

April 2, 2026

VoteWater, a South Florida clean-water advocacy group, has endorsed Jose Javier Rodriguez for Florida Attorney General. “We’re proud to endorse Jose Javier Rodriguez,” said Gil Smart, VoteWater Executive Director. “As a member of the Florida Legislature, he stood up to…

‘Dirty money’ talks: What does it say about Byron Donalds?

March 26, 2026

Florida Congressman and Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds can talk a good game about clean water. When he first ran for Congress he identified it as a top priority; he’s advocated for Everglades funding, and on his campaign website he…

No challengers = no change

March 5, 2026

Here at VoteWater we talk a lot about electing clean-water candidates. But how can you elect them when they’re not running? There’s an abundance of candidates running for federal and high-profile state offices this election year — including 41 candidates…

The ‘dirty money’ behind ‘Blue Ribbon Projects’ paves the way for development of rural Florida

February 26, 2026

State Rep. Lauren Melo wants you to know she loves wild Florida. Growing up, the Naples Republican used to hunt quail and learned to drive a “three on the tree” gear shifter in the wide-open spaces. As she told the…

Alligator Alcatraz: Setting a dangerous precedent?

February 12, 2026

The Everglades immigrant detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz” is damaging enough in its own right, inflicting untold harms on the site and the greater Everglades ecosystem. But more damaging over the long haul may be the legal precedent being…

‘Trump Homes’ and why Florida is only going to see more ‘sprawl’

February 3, 2026

Now it all makes sense. As we and others have noted this legislative session, there’s been a huge onslaught of pro-”sprawl” bills, most of which invoke “affordable housing.” That is, if we limit local governments ability to regulate new housing…

WHO DECIDES?: Lawmakers push bills to override local communities

January 29, 2026

You think you know what’s best for your community? Lawmakers in faraway Tallahassee disagree. Indeed, this year there are multiple bills in the state Legislature with a single goal: Taking power away from local communities. Some of them involve straight-up…

Sprawl, powered by ‘dirty money’

January 22, 2026

State campaign finance data for the fourth quarter of 2025 has dropped, and initially we were going to write about how much Big Sugar gave last year. And in fact, we WILL write about it, right here: According to the…

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