“A ‘Right to Clean and Healthy Waters'" is a green amendment crafted specifically to meet the legal and political challenges in Florida” - Joseph Bonasia, Communications Director for FloridaRightToCleanWater.org.
A call to support the right to clean water in Florida
In 2020, the Orange County Charter Review Commission placed a charter amendment on the ballot. It was designed to guarantee that Orange County waters had a right to be clean and free of pollution. The amendment also granted all county citizens the right to clean water. It passed with 89.2% voter approval.
Shortly after placement on the ballot, however, the state legislature preempted the authority of local governments to pass such laws. Because of this, a lawsuit using the new amendment to protect wetlands in the county from development was challenged by both the developer and the state. The lawsuit was dismissed, but the appeal is being prepared.
Work began immediately on a state constitutional amendment because the constitution can’t be circumvented.
The 2024 ballot is a feasible goal. Many new venues, such as virtual meetings, now were available for our organizational meetings and presentations to members of organizations supporting the effort. Consensus developed quickly to focus on one amendment and leadership changes occurred. The Florida Right To Clean Water (RtCW) campaign for a state constitutional amendment began coming together both in its legal form and development of the statewide network that would function in each county or region.Working closely with the new leaders, I mentioned my proposal for a redesign of the logo that would be important for attracting voters who were not committed participants in “things environmental.”
Joseph Bonasia, Southwest Florida RtCW leader, described it as “a new and improved logo, for a new and improved amendment”:
Now we in Sarasota need to provide our fair share of the required signatures on petitions. That is where you come in. We need your signatures on the petitions and we need your help getting others (at least five friends).
At Floridarighttocleanwater.org you can get the petition — then mail it to the Fort Myers address.* Find answers to questions about the campaign, and see the growing support: League of Women Voters, VoteWater.org, Florida Wildlife Federation, and Waterkeeper chapters among them. If you can, join the volunteer effort in any way convenient for you — become an ambassador or a captain. Even if you are not a Florida voter, with a little volunteered work or a donation you can participate in this clean water effort.
It is up to us to get this question before the voters — so they may decide whether to guarantee that we have the clean water we have been pursuing fruitlessly for decades — instead of things just getting worse.
*Mail to:
FloridaRightToCleanWater.org
(Political Committee)
13300 S Cleveland Ave, Ste 56
Fort Myers, FL 33907
