Florida Right To Clean Water

Can you give us 3 hours for a lifetime of water protections? This October and November is our best chance to exercise our rights to self-governance to create the highest level of water and wetlands protections in western law for future generations of Floridians. The 2026 Florida Right to Clean and Healthy Waters (RTCW) constitutional amendment ballot initiative will only happen with your help. The RTCW campaign is a fully grassroots, wholly volunteer, unpaid staff effort. The campaign depends on individual citizens like you to help create the law our failed legislative and regulatory agency decision makers refuse to make. The campaign does not have the deep pockets of constitutional amendment campaigns spending $50 million dollars for ballot placement. We need you! Placing the RTCW petition on the 2026 election ballot for a vote requires collecting 900,000 signatures. During this “Push to The Polls” Call to Action from now to Nov. 3 and on Election Day on Nov. 5, the RTCW petition campaign is seeking 900 volunteers across 67 counties to collect signatures at their local voting locations. You will be heading there to vote, so why not help with a few hours to make this new law a reality? Floridians agree on the importance of clean waters and eagerly sign the petition when asked. Early voting dates vary by county with most locations are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. There is a day, time slot and location to fit everyone’s schedule. Register to join our growing team of concerned citizens to collect petitions in your hometown at https://lnkd.in/eSBp49Ps. “How to” short training webinars, actual petitions and support materials will be provided to volunteers by https://lnkd.in/esy5neBY. https://lnkd.in/eTNDDMAd

🌊 Will YOU help make this happen? 🌊  We are seeking volunteer petition gatherers at polling stations during early voting and on Election Day when there is guaranteed high volume traffic of registered Florida voters.   Sign up to help by clicking the button at https://lnkd.in/etQtqghs This is a big, bold plan with a history of success. It was through this strategy that the gill net ban qualified for the state ballot in 1994. Hundreds of thousands of signed petitions were collected in one day. It worked then. It can work now.  Read the story of that success in this Florida Sportsman column by Blair Wickstrom. https://lnkd.in/ei6Q44-r As Florida Sportsman says, “your fishing depends on it!” And of course, your clean water! 🌊🌊🌊

Clean water is Florida’s lifeline Read key facts from Michiale Schneider: https://lnkd.in/euBWMwRs Clean water is fundamental for the well-being of both humans and the environment. With its extensive coastal areas, wetlands, and diverse ecosystems, Florida heavily relies on clean water for drinking, agriculture, tourism, and wildlife conservation. Ten ways in which water quality is important: 1. Drinking water: Access to high-quality drinking water is essential to protect against waterborne illnesses and safeguard public health. 2. Recreation: Clean water supports recreational activities like swimming, boating, and fishing. 3. Ecosystem health: For rivers, lakes, and oceans to thrive and remain strong, they depend on clean water being available. 4. Housing development: Poor water quality leads to lower home values. 5. Economic growth: Industries rely on water for manufacturing, energy production, and other commercial activities. 6. Agriculture: Quality water is essential for irrigation and livestock watering to sustain productivity and prevent contamination of food crops. 7. Biodiversity: Water quality impacts the diversity of aquatic life by providing suitable habitats for various species. 8. Natural resource management: Water quality plays a key role in managing natural resources such as wetlands, forests, and wildlife habitats. 9. Climate regulation: Water influences weather and climate by storing and releasing heat. 10. Environmental protection: Preserving water quality is essential to protect the overall environment, including soil, air, and biodiversity. In Florida, clean water isn’t just a necessity but a lifeline. Ensuring clean water is crucial to protect public health, support our economy, and preserve our state’s natural beauty. Make a difference today! Visit the Florida Right to Clean Water to sign the petition, volunteer, or donate. https://lnkd.in/etQtqghs

SPRINGS Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs) DEP "plans to fail" - unless springs advocates keep the pressure on https://lnkd.in/e-5XaAbu Springs BMAPs were mandated by the legislature in response to declining springs health. DEP is required to update Springs BMAPs - plans to restore polluted springs - by July 2025. These water quality plans are the only regulatory tool we have to clean polluted springs, so it's essential for springs advocates to be involved and keep the pressure on DEP. By repeatedly postponing any action, the DEP has thwarted the ability to take DeSantis to court. But our amendment would fix that. Sign the petition, volunteer, or make a donation to protect our waters and secure a healthier future for all Floridians. https://lnkd.in/eKGbw7_x

🌊 Will YOU help make this happen? 🌊  We can qualify a RTCW Constitutional Amendment for the 2026 ballot by getting an army of volunteer petition gatherers at polling stations during early voting and on Election Day when there is guaranteed high volume traffic of registered Florida voters.   This is a big, bold plan with a history of success. It was through this strategy that the gill net ban qualified for the state ballot in 1994. Hundreds of thousands of signed petitions were collected in one day.   It worked then. It can work now.  Read the story of that success in this Florida Sportsman column by Blair Wickstrom. https://lnkd.in/ei6Q44-r Sign up to help by clicking the button at https://lnkd.in/etQtqghs  As Florida Sportsman says, “your fishing depends on it.”

As written by truth-teller Craig Pittman: Two things are important to maintaining our springs: Quantity and quality of the water. These two factors are connected, too. If the flow is strong, it can flush out pollutants. A lighter flow has a difficult time doing that. Florida’s been messing up both by handing out water consumption permits with all the restraint of an unscrupulous dentist handing out Halloween candy to trick-or-treating future patients. https://lnkd.in/gbB5_NJJ What the Florida Right To Clean Water would do is enable any citizen to FORCE the State to ENFORCE the regulations, regardless of who is skirting them. Please sign the petition, spread the word, volunteer (especially on election day), and donate to the Florida Right To Clean Water. https://lnkd.in/etQtqghs

We were proud to participate with the VoLo Foundation in Florida Climate Week alongside some of the great leaders in the fight for climate action: Climate Central, WildBlueSea, https://lnkd.in/esy5neBY, Nielsen, Oceanic Global, Take Action Global, Seaworthy Collective, Nexuma, The Cleo Institute, and The Environmental Defense Fund. "The stark reality that climate change is no longer a distant threat, but a present and undeniable force, is clear. Every local government that commits to climate action strengthens Florida's collective ability to confront the escalating impacts of climate change. All municipalities must come on board to create meaningful, statewide progress." The new message is The Climate Crisis is Here. There's No Time for Denial. What's Our Plan? One plan should be to get petitions signed for the Florida Right To Clean Water. When we get this passed, we'll be able to save our wetlands and waters that store carbon and mitigate flooding, among other benefits to the climate. Please join us, by signing your petition, getting them signed by friends & family, volunteering at events like our Election Day "Push to the Polls", or donating. https://lnkd.in/e7MM9NQi https://lnkd.in/etQtqghs

“No one should be exposed to environmental dangers, especially not children, who are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of pollutants in both drinking and recreational water. That’s why I’m supporting the bold – and necessary – efforts to amend our state constitution so all Floridians, even those too young to vote and those not yet born, would have the fundamental right to clean and healthy waters.”   This powerful statement (and article - https://lnkd.in/gd8paX-g) from Dick Batchelor, co-chair of the Children’s Environmental Health Network and former Florida Legislator, represents just one of the many voices championing the Florida Right to Clean Water campaign. With over 200 organizations and businesses behind it, including Friends of the Everglades, VoteWater, Florida Springs Council, and the League of Women Voters, this movement is gaining significant momentum. Will you join Dick and other prominent leaders in supporting this life-changing initiative?   What does your support look like? It’s simple. Share the message of the Florida Right to Clean Water campaign with your community through newsletters, social media, or other platforms. Encourage them to sign the petition (link provided - https://lnkd.in/g46aCd6M). You can also make a personal endorsement about why clean water is important to you.   Here’s why this matters: 1.     Protect local water quality and supply across Florida. 2.     Prevent bottling companies from depleting our drinking water. 3.     Safeguard property values and quality of life by ensuring clean water for drinking, fishing, and recreation in our springs, lakes, and beaches. Will you stand with us and lend your support to protect Florida’s waters for future generations? Will you help us gather signatures on Election Day?

"In 1996, nearly 70% of Florida’s voters approved a constitutional amendment that required polluters to be primarily responsible for cleaning up polluted wetlands. It was called “Polluter Pays,” and it was intended to clean up the pollution in the Everglades. But in 2003, the Legislature passed an amendment that negated this provision. As a result, even though the sugar industry is responsible for 76% of Everglades contamination, it pays just 24% of the cost to deal with it. Did people rise up in anger? They did not. So instead of “polluter pays,” we have “polluter pays for my mailers and billboards.” https://lnkd.in/eZ9Y39Vw Check out the new database to learn which polluters are paying your politician. (Thank you Craig Pittman!) Then support the Florida Right To Clean Water... the only way we're going to end this cycle of pollution. Sign the petition, volunteer, or make a donation to protect our waters and secure a healthier future for all Floridians. https://lnkd.in/etQtqghs

"If you sincerely want safe, drinkable, swimmable, and fishable waters, now is your chance to make it happen. You can fix Florida’s waters. At no other time in Florida’s history will stepping forward to volunteer to make a bigger impact in saving our environment. Every single Floridian deserves the fundamental right to clean water. If you agree, you can be the change that makes this happen. Placing the RTCW Petition on the 2026 election ballot for a vote requires collecting 900,000 signatures. During this “Push to The Polls” Call to Action from October 21 to November 3 and on election day, November 5, the RTCW petition campaign is seeking 900 volunteers across 67 counties to collect signatures at their local voting locations. You will be heading there to vote, so why not help with a few hours to make this new law a reality?" https://lnkd.in/eTu8neqD