The speaker for our February board meeting was Danielle Hawk, who is a congressional candidate running on the Democratic ticket in District 3. Danielle spoke to us principally about her stand on environmental issues and we found that she has done her homework and is aware of the main threats to the Santa Fe River.
The government agencies such as the DEP, FDACS and the water management districts are allowing our water resources to decline in quantity and flow from over-pumping and contamination mostly by nitrates from agriculture but also by urban fertilizer and inadequate wastewater treatment. Their MFLs and BMAPs serve only to further promote abusers and excessive users of our resources and to lure the public into a false sense of security believing that our state is taking care of our water. This is why our elected representatives are so important.
Her opponent in the Democratic primaries is Tom Wells, who by this newsletter is also invited to visit our board.
From Danielle’s webpage she lists the following as one of the three key issues on her candidacy:
-
Protecting Our Water: In Florida, big businesses are pumping groundwater faster than it can be replenished. While everyday residents pay hard-earned money for water in their homes, large multinational corporations like Nestle exploit our most valuable natural resource at a fraction of the cost to make a profit. We need to make sure these corporations pay their fair share for the water they use. In addition, it’s high time we provide federal protection and funding for the springs. Our district is home to the largest concentration of freshwater springs in the world. By involving the federal government in prioritizing their conservation, we can revitalize our local economies and build healthy, safe, and prosperous communities.
