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The Right To Clean Water campaign was born out of frustration with our state’s lack of effective action to clean up the polluted waters of Florida.
Every year for the past four years, the Legislature has ignored the recommendations of the Blue Green Algae Task Force, a blue-ribbon body of scientists appointed by the governor to solve our water pollution problems. Each year, good environmental protection bills are introduced that get watered down or go nowhere.
Input from small environmental groups such as ours can’t compete with the paid lobbyists in Tallahassee that represent Big Ag and the developers.
It’s time for a new approach: an amendment to the state constitution giving citizens the right to clean water and giving standing for an individual or group to sue the executive branch of our state government and its agencies for actions or inactions that harm Florida’s waters.
This campaign has been endorsed by several local non-profits: Pelican Island Audubon Society, Friends of St. Sebastian River and the Democratic Women’s Club of Indian River County as well as ourselves, the Indian River Neighborhood Association.
In order to get this amendment on the 2024 ballot, 892,000 signed petitions must be submitted to the state by November. That’s a heavy lift and we need lots of help to reach that number. We are out gathering petitions on street corners and at local events. We ask that you become a supporter by signing a petition or volunteering to collect them at your workplace, neighborhood or club.
For more information please see www.FloridaRightToCleanWater.org. To join the local campaign, please contact the Indian River Neighborhood Association at 772-234-8718 or email [email protected].
Jean Catchpole, Vero Beach, chairs the Water & Lagoon Committee of the Indian River Neighborhood Association.
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