Our Santa Fe River, Inc.
2070 W CR 138
Fort White, FL 32038
Phone: 386 454 0322
June 29 2021
**PRESS RELEASE**
Contacts: Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson, merrillee@oursantaferiver.org, 352-222-8893
Mike Roth, michael.roth@oursantaferiver.org, 352-316-4705
Our Santa Fe River Resolution Endorses Right to Clean Water State Constitutional Amendment Petition
The Board of Directors of Our Santa Fe River, Inc. unanimously passed a resolution in support of three petitions proposing constitutional amendments to be placed on the Florida 2022 ballot.
The resolution reads as follows:
We believe that the Right to Clean Water charter amendment passed by 89% of the residents of Orange County, Florida is a concept that must be recognized by the State of Florida on a statewide basis in order to stop the continuing degradation of its water resources and the resulting negative impact on all flora and fauna within the state leading to reduced economic viability and quality of life for its residents.
The FL5 political action committee has put forth five proposed amendments to the Florida constitution, three of which directly bear on the scope of the mission of Our Santa Fe River. The three are as follows:
1 – Florida Right to Clean Water – prohibits pollution of Florida’s waters and provides for enforcement.
2- Florida Wetlands Preservation – enhances protection for all Florida wetlands by prohibiting dredging, draining, filling or other degradation.
3 – Florida Tollroad Expansion Ban – Prohibits the construction or expansion of toll roads on conservation and rural lands.
We believe that these essential rights and protections have not been provided or supported by the agencies deemed responsible to do so, and we further believe that a mandate from the people of the State of Florida must be recognized by all.
Accordingly, the Board of Directors of Our Santa Fe River, Inc. unanimously supports the entry of these three petitions onto the 2022 ballot and, if supported by a majority of Florida voters, entered as amendments to our Florida constitution.
“We must get past Water Management District wishful thinking and legislative sound bites about dollars committed making them look good for the next election cycle. We are slipping into unrecoverable territory in the degradation of our precious springs and water resources”, said Mike Roth, Director at Our Santa Fe River. “The laws and enforcement mechanisms in place are obviously not sufficient, and our legislators are clearly not willing to take this problem seriously enough. These amendments will start to level the playing field between our natural systems and the corporate entities that have the legal rights to destroy them.”
Advocacy Director Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson added “The time has come to recognize nature’s rights knowing that at least one species on this planet has become a burden to all natural systems. Humans are absolutely capable of the change necessary to avert their current destructive path in favor of a more resilient future in harmony with clean water security. This statewide petition drive is crucial for all Floridians.” Malwitz-Jipson is a founder of Our Santa Fe River and a clean water advocate.
Our Santa Fe River, Inc. is a not-for-profit 501-(c)(3) organization composed of concerned citizens working to protect the waters and lands supporting the aquifer, springs and rivers within the watershed of the Santa Fe River by promoting public awareness pertaining to the ecology, quality, and quantity of the waters and lands immediately adjacent to and supporting the Santa Fe River, including its springs and underlying aquifer.
The petitions can be viewed at FL5.org.
Michael Roth, Director
Our Santa Fe River, Inc.
352-316-4705
