Sadly, John Moran is right when he says those who lead Florida care more for money than clean water and the environment. Clemons joins the governor, the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection, and those on down in hiding the truth from the public. Their motive is to appear to be doing their jobs in taking care of our state, while in reality they are taking care of money and industry. Our springs and rivers to the contrary are dying on their watch.
Read the complete article here at Jacksonville.com.
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
Florida’s waterways need a special Bill of Rights
Another View
August 4, 2020
John Moran
Since the Florida Legislature passed the Clean Waterways Act of 2020, why did the Santa Fe River Bill of Rights campaign still push for a Bill of Rights for the river?
Here’s a hint: despite the act’s catchy title, Tallahassee isn’t coming to the rescue. Looking under the hood, this bill does nothing to reduce the dominant source of pollution ravaging the beloved rivers and springs in my part of Florida.
How can this be? Here’s another hint: Follow the money. With the support of nearly every major polluting industry in Florida, the Legislature has once again prioritized polluter profits over protecting public waters.
But wait, there’s more: the bill also preempts local government anywhere in Florida from recognizing Rights of Nature.
So how did we get here?
Consider the bizarre pronouncement from Republican state Rep. Chuck Clemons last year in the wake of the worst water crisis in state history, Florida’s infamous 2018 Summer of Slime.
Incredulous, I grabbed my cameras and went to more than a dozen springs on the Santa Fe and Suwannee rivers last summer, searching for evidence that our springs really are getting better.
I found no cause for celebration. The pictures tell the tale. What I found broke my heart and pissed me off. In almost every spring in the Suwannee River Valley, disgusting and noxious slime — fueled largely by agricultural fertilizer and manure — is now the new normal.
We were told 2020 was going to be the year that Tallahassee ditched the blinders and embraced clear vision. Instead we got legislative malfeasance masquerading as responsible oversight.
In the words of the director of one of Florida’s leading environmental nonprofits, “Agriculture gets a free pass to pollute and Ron DeSantis is Rick Scott with a new coat of paint.”
So, what’s the status of the Sana Fe Bill of Rights?
With voter approval in November, Alachua County’s Home Rule Charter would be amended to recognize the right of the Santa Fe River to naturally exist and flourish and to assert our community’s right to a healthy river ecosystem and aquifer.
But I commend the good work of the parallel campaign in Orange County, the Wekiva Econlockhatchee River Bill of Rights.
Simply put, Florida’s water is Florida’s lifeblood. And our waters are under siege. Job One for government is to foster public health, safety and welfare.
But an epidemic of indifference has swept through the capitol. Our legislators have tested positive for dishonoring the intelligence of nature and the will of the people. They have defiled democracy itself….
Will rights of nature save the river? Perhaps the bigger question is this: Can rights of nature save us from ourselves?
A Bill of Rights for the river is a Bill of Rights for the future. It’s the right thing to do.
John Moran is a Gainesville-based nature photographer and water advocate.
“The Invading Sea” is the opinion arm of the Florida Climate Reporting Network, a collaborative of Florida news organizations including The Florida Times-Union Editorial Page focusing on the threats posed by the warming climate.
