The following was sent out by the Florida Right to Clean Water initiative. Please donate if you can because this may be our only chance in the foreseeable future to defeat those who are letting our springs, rivers and wetlands die.
Although most Floridians don’t realize it, our Department of Environmental Protection and the five water management districts have no plans to save or restore our springs and rivers. They pretend otherwise and brag about spending money but they carefully avoid hampering any industry which may be abusing our surface or groundwater.
Occasionally they add sewer systems and purchase some critical land, but no significant, that is NO SIGNIFICANT progress is happening.
The polluters continue to write legislation which protects them, and the legislators pass these bills, often heralded as being great by our DEP, water management districts and our Blue-green Algae Task Force.
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum
THIS IS IT.
The Florida Right to Clean Water initiative has soared in momentum over the last few months, but what’s the status of the campaign overall? What more needs to be done to ensure we qualify for the 2024 ballot?
In addition to Erin Brockovich and Maya van Rossum, here are a few other “voices of Florida” you’ll be hearing from:
- Blair Wickstrom, Sr Editor of Florida Sportsman Magazine, who
- recently penned his own call to action for support of the initiative;
- Beam Furr, Broward County Commissioner;
- Charley Andrews, farmer and owner of Hammock Hallow Farm;
- Jane West, legal and policy analyst on smart growth and comprehensive development planning;
- Laurilee Thompson, owner of Dixie Crossroads restaurant and experienced advocate in tourism, ecotourism and commercial fishing industries;
- Paul Arsenault, Artist (painter);
- John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper Emeritus; and
- Gil Smart, Executive Director of VoteWater.org.Please copy-paste this link into your calendar forThursday, March 2nd at 6pm EST:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/4671850108?pwd=SjNxSU1uRmJsaHp1TUJVbHZ5U3VWdz09
March 2nd is also about sending out our “ALL-CALL TO ACTION” for as much support as we can get — from motivated volunteers, like-minded businesses and organizations, and from all potential donors.
We are currently an all-volunteer campaign.
If we’re able to raise funds in the millions, we’d have access to a paid petitioning effort. In the hundreds-of-thousands, we could launch a formidable direct mailing operation. Otherwise, we need to raise $50,000 to sustain an already growing infrastructure of motivated volunteers and dedicated organizations and businesses to collect the petition numbers we need to succeed. It just might take more sweat equity.
Each of these “ways forward” is absolutely achievable, and we’re ready and willing to tackle whatever comes our way.
March 2nd is also about sending out our “ALL-CALL TO ACTION” for as much support as we can get — from motivated volunteers, like-minded businesses and organizations, and from all potential donors. We are currently an all-volunteer campaign.
If we’re able to raise funds in the millions, we’d have access to a paid petitioning effort. In the hundreds-of-thousands, we could launch a formidable direct mailing operation. Otherwise, we need to raise $50,000 to sustain an already growing infrastructure of motivated volunteers and dedicated organizations and businesses to collect the petition numbers we need to succeed. It just might take more sweat equity.
Each of these “ways forward” is absolutely achievable, and we’re ready and willing to tackle whatever comes our way.
We need YOUR HELP to spread awareness of this pivotal point, to try our best to understand what our options are. Please relay our ask to YOUR network and the businesses and organizations YOU know. Feel free to share our pitch deck.
“Waiting ’til later” will be, for strategic planning purposes, too late.
Forward this email to your contacts now, asking them to consider contributing to this #WatershedMoment, determining an important, shared decision affecting all Floridians and all of Florida.
Finally, if you’re feeling extra motivated to help make calls, stuff envelopes and/or work behind the scenes managing data for the purpose of this fundraising focus, please contact us at admin@floridarighttocleanwater.org!
We need all the help we can get, so thank you in advance!
