Politics

Using tech to fight algae – so we don’t have to crack down on polluters

September 21, 2023

Another day, another “technological” fix for Florida’s dirty water. Today’s news story comes to you from the Indian River Lagoon, where Florida Today recently reported on how attempts to “harvest” harmful algae via a floating barge could make the lagoon…

Dirty Money: Both Republicans and Democrats are taking it

September 5, 2023

Executive Director Gil Smart gives a preview of what we’re discovering with our “Dirty Money” research – elected officials from both parties have taken plenty of money from Big Sugar and other polluters, there’s no partisan divide on this issue.…

Manatee County decision to gut wetlands protections shows the need to “Vote Water”

August 25, 2023

VoteWater’s Gil Smart makes the case in this video:

Introducing the Dirty Money Project: Because dirty money = dirty water

August 10, 2023

As a VoteWater supporter, you’ve long known that dirty money = dirty water. Campaign cash from polluting industries buys influence in Tallahassee, Washington, D.C., even your local county commission chambers. This results in laws that protect polluters and prevent progress…

Dirty money alert: Next Florida Senate President gets thousands from Big Sugar

July 18, 2023

Update: Sen. Albritton got even MORE sugar money than we realized! Below, we report on a $25,000 contribution from U.S. Sugar to Florida Sen. Ben Albritton’s campaign committee, Friends of Ben Albritton. The report is true and correct. But the…

Call to action: Tell Gov. DeSantis we need this clean-water advocate back

June 22, 2023

One of the most passionate clean-water advocates in South Florida just got kicked to the curb. As we detailed last week, Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch had been a member of the South Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board since 2019. The Sewall’s…

If Thurlow-Lippisch loses seat on SFWMD board, polluters win

June 13, 2023

Here’s a case study of how politics pollutes Florida’s waters: Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch is a Sewall’s Point Realtor, long-time Treasure Coast clean water advocate and, since 2019, a member of the South Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board. Few people in…

DeSantis signs ‘sprawl bill’; will he let fertilizer ban stand?

May 26, 2023

One down, one to go — and not in a good way. On May 24, after weeks of lobbying and email campaigns and public pleas by citizens and conservation groups seeking a veto, Gov. Ron DeSantis ignored it all and signed…

Legislators want to ban fertilizer bans – because they know what ‘the science’ will say

May 16, 2023

As we write this Gov. Ron DeSantis still hasn’t signed the state budget, nor has he vetoed line item 146 — which green-lights a one-year ban on new fertilizer ordinances while the University of Florida studies the matter. VoteWater has…

Florida’s waters will bear the scars of this legislative session

May 8, 2023

And so the 2023 Legislative Session has come to an end. Mercifully. Let’s be frank: It wasn’t a good year for clean water or Florida’s environment in general. While the Legislature did allot a record $1.1 billion for land acquisition…

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