Welcome, Candidates!

VoteWater.org is a nonpartisan, grassroots initiative designed  to help Floridians identify clean-water representatives from the pool of local, state and federal candidates across Florida. Our team of volunteers will survey candidates for their stances on water-quality solutions. The outcome of this survey will be shared with hundreds of thousands of Florida voters during the 2022 election season and will form the basis for our Vote Water election guide.

Instructions

Below, you will find five issues followed by proposed solutions in the form of questions. These surveys may vary by slightly by office jurisdiction. Your opponents will receive identical questions. You will find additional space between each question for comments.

Important Final Step: To certify your responses you will be emailed a confirmation link. Please check your email after you have submitted the survey to finalize your submission. Thank you for your participation.

Question 1(Required)
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?
Comments (Optional) References
Question 2(Required)
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?
Comments (Optional) References
Question 3(Required)
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?
Comments (Optional) References
Question 4(Required)
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?
Comments (Optional) References
Question 5(Required)
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?
Comments (Optional) References
Your Name(Required)