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 corporate polluters to protect the Everglades and ensure safe drinking water for families across our state. He’s worked to protect Florida’s wild and natural spaces by buying land and making it public, and fought to build resilience into our communities to mitigate the damage from natural disasters.

“We trust Jose to stand up for everyone who believes Floridians deserve clean water,” said Smart.

In accepting the endorsement, Rodriguez said: 

“Floridians deserve an Attorney General who will stand up to corruption and protect the resources that keep our communities healthy and strong, and for too long, we haven’t had one. Clean water isn’t optional — it’s essential to our economy, our environment, and our way of life. As Attorney General, I’ll hold polluters and special interests accountable and make sure our laws are enforced to protect Florida’s water — for our families, our kids, and future generations. I’m proud to have the support of VoteWater and to stand alongside them in this fight.”

Rodriguez holds degrees from Brown University and Harvard Law School. He served in the Peace Corps in Senegal before returning to Florida to work as a legal aid attorney. He went on to win seats in the Florida House of Representatives in 2012 and 2014, followed by a successful bid for the Florida Senate in 2016. In the Legislature he was a vocal advocate for anti-corruption measures, voting rights, consumer protections, and affordable housing initiatives.

Rodríguez’s 2020 Florida Senate reelection campaign ended in a narrow defeat, with just 32 votes separating him from victory in a race tainted by a “ghost candidate” scheme. A no-party candidate sharing his surname, Alex Rodriguez, siphoned off more than 6,000 votes despite running no real campaign.

Following his Senate defeat, Rodríguez joined the Biden Administration as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor. In that role, he strengthened workplace protections, oversaw job training initiatives, and worked to ensure equitable economic opportunities for all families.

“Jose knows all about political corruption in Florida, because he was victimized by it,” said VoteWater’s Smart. “He’s the ideal candidate to take on the special interests that game the system in Tallahassee and across the state — and he’s the clear choice in this race.”

Headquartered in Stuart, VoteWater is a 501(c)(4) organization which works to inspire Floridians to demand leaders and policies that promote clean water.