First things first:

CONGRATS to VoteWater-endorsed Gloria Romero Roses in Florida House District 113! She beat Republican Bruno Barreiro with 55% of the vote for a seat that had been open since last November.

And CONGRATS to VoteWater-endorsed Steve Friedman, who won reelection to Islamorada Village Council Seat 2, with 56% of the vote.

Of the eight candidates endorsed by VoteWater in the August primary and yesterday’s general election, seven won!

BUT YOU CAN’T WIN ‘EM ALL.

VoteWater-endorsed Attorney General candidate Jose Javier Rodriguez fell just short in his bid to oust Republican incumbent James Uthmeier.

And Amendment 3, the tax cut amendment, got 62% of the vote (it needed 60% to pass). VoteWater, along with many other conservation groups, public safety organizations and others, had recommended a “no” vote.

So what does it all mean for Florida’s waterways?

Amendment 3’s passage is a big deal. Local governments and Florida’s five water management districts depend on property taxes, and they could face serious revenue shortfalls. How serious won’t be clear until the expanded homestead exemptions begin phasing in next year.

VoteWater will follow the process closely and keep you informed.

Republican Byron Donalds, who edged Democrat David Jolly to become Florida’s next Governor, boasts a huge laundry list of polluting special interests that contributed to his campaign. Data centers; Big Sugar; Big Development; phosphate mining interests and others. They are going to want something in return for their support.

BUT: ‘Dirty Money’ (almost) didn’t matter in this election

Donalds raised more than $160 million during his campaign, more than 10 times what Jolly raised. Donalds won 50.02% to 48.71%, a margin of just over 100,000 votes out of more than 8.1 million cast. Moreover, that slim victory happened in a state where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats 5.7 million to 4.1 million.

Same deal with the Attorney General race; between his campaign and his Friends of James Uthmeier PAC, Uthmeier raised over $16 million; Rodriguez raised $4.4 million. Yet Uthmeier squeaked by, 50.9 to 49.1 percent.

Is “dirty money” losing its efficacy? Let’s hope.

Tuesday’s election changed the political landscape. But some things remain the same.

After losing some 15 seats in the state House of Representatives, and incumbent Sen. Jason Brodeur’s loss to Democratic challenger John Lowndes in Senate District 10, Republicans lost their supermajority in both chambers.

Still the “blue wave” that swept most of the country largely spared Florida, where top offices were all won by Republicans.

Regardless of Tuesday’s results, VoteWater will continue to push for clean-water policy and clean-water candidates. We will “watchdog” elected officials, follow the money, dive deep into important topics and do all we can to equip you with the knowledge to get involved and make a difference.

Indeed, you already have. So thank you — and stay tuned!