The Plaintiffs are Wilde Cypress Branch, Boggy Branch . . .

Orange County, FL: On Monday, April 26, the first enforcement case in the United States was filed under a “rights of nature” law. 

The Plaintiffs in this case are the waterways that would be affected by the proposed housing development, Wilde Cypress Branch, Boggy Branch, Crosby Island Marsh, Lake Hart, and Lake Mary Jane. 

Boggy Branch

The Orange County law secures the rights of waterways to “exist, flow, be protected against pollution and maintain a healthy ecosystem.” 

It asserts that a proposed 1900-acre housing development will violate the rights of streams, a wetland marsh, and two lakes in Orange County.

[It] . , , further recognizes the authority of citizens to file enforcement actions on behalf of waterways, and directs courts to enjoin projects and activities that violate the rights of waterways.

Full story here

Full legal complaint here

First court case of new Rights of Nature Law

Rights of Nature Webinar

This webinar, presented in November 2020, is one of several on this movement to protect the rights of rivers and of citizens - the right, for example, to not be polluted. 

Corporations have rights - but why do they have the right to pollute, while citizens and Nature have no right to clean water?

Orange County is the largest US municipality to give legal rights to rivers via a Charter Amendment.

Chuck O'Neal of Orange County and Joe Bonasia speak with Thomas Linzey about the Rights of Nature movement in Florida. Direct link to the video.

The Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights has more videos about Rights of Nature in other parts of the globe.