January 22, 2014
Today concerned Floridians from more than 100 different organizations in 16 communities at risk from water pollution, toxic algae fueled by fertilizer, sewage and animal manure, and the unrestrained over-consumption of water resources gathered to make a stand for clean water in Florida. Events were held in Boynton Beach, Bradenton, Ft. Myers, Ft. Pierce, Gainesville, Interlachen, Jacksonville, Key West, Palm Bay, Orlando, Naples, Ocala, Stuart, Tallahassee, Tampa, and Vero Beach.
The public was joined by local and state level elected officials who want to join the fight to save Florida from the threat of lost jobs, lost quality of life and lost natural environments that we now face due to the degradation of our state’s waters; they were State Senator David Simmons and State Representative Linda Stewart (in Orlando), State Senator Bill Montford, State Representative Michelle Rehwinkle-Vasilinda, and State Representative Alan Williams (in Tallahassee), State Representative Mark Danish, Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner and Tampa City Councilwoman Mary Mulhern (in Tampa), State Representative Lori Berman (in Boynton Beach), State Representative Heather Fitzenhagen (in Ft. Myers), Manatee County Commissioners Michael Gallen and Robin DiSabatino (in Bradenton), Indian River County Commissioner Peter D. O’Bryan and Indian River County School Board Member Dale Simchick (in Vero Beach), St. Lucie County Commissioners Tod Mowery and Chris Dzadovsky (in Ft. Pierce), Jacksonville City Councilman Jim Love , Palm Bay City Councilwoman Michelle Paccione, and Interlachen Mayor Ken Larsen.
Civic, water and environmental groups from every corner of the state have come together to launch a historic endeavor – a collaborative campaign to harness the resources and energy of organizations and individuals from throughout our state to demand and win the protection of Florida's springs, rivers, lakes, and estuaries.
The cornerstone of the campaign is the Floridians' Clean Water Declaration which was developed with the input and support of dozens of environmental organizations. The Declaration lists six rights that should be guaranteed to the people of Florida and four responsibilities of our state government, water managers, and natural resource users.
The goal of the campaign is to get as many individuals, organizations, businesses, and elected and appointed officials as possible to sign the Declaration and commit to work together to achieve its principles. The goal is to demonstrate Floridians' overwhelming support for protecting state waters and to create a framework for achieving meaningful policy changes in the future.
Today was the statewide launch of this new campaign that encourages everyone to sign the Declaration, share it with friends, family and colleagues, and look for opportunities to engage city and county commissioners, legislators and members of Congress, and business and community leaders.
Photos of the events may be accessed at on the campaign Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FCWDcampaign
The Declaration and a description of the campaign is at www.wewantcleanwater.com
Event Locations and Contacts:
Boynton Beach
District Office of Representative Lori Berman
2300 High Ridge Road, Boynton Beach, FL 33426-8747
Contact: Sarah de Flesco (Clean Water Action), [email protected] 561-672-7638
Bradenton
Manatee County Administration Building
1112 Manatee Avenue West, Bradenton, FL 34205
Contact: Cris Costello (Sierra Club), [email protected] 941-914-0421
Ft. Myers
District Office of Representative Heather Fitzenhagen
2120 Main Street, Suite 208, Fort Myers, FL 33901
Contact: Ray Judah (Florida Coastal & Oceans Coalition), [email protected], 239-218-7676
Ft. Pierce
Ft. Pierce City Marina
1 Avenue A, Fort Pierce, FL 34950
Contact: Katy Lewey (Save the Indian River Lagoon/River Kidz St. Lucie County) [email protected] 772-607-3281
Gainesville
Alachua County Administration Building
12 SE 1st St, Gainesville, FL 32635
Contact: Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson (Our Santa Fe River), [email protected], 386-454-4247
Cathy Harrelson (Gulf Restoration Network), [email protected] 727-415-8805
Interlachen
Office of Keyser & Woodward, P.A.
501 Atlantic Avenue
Interlachen, FL 32148
Contact: Karen Chadwick, (Putnam County Environmental Council) [email protected], 386-983-1256
Jacksonville
Northbank Riverwalk
Parking at 221 Riverside Ave, Jacksonville, FL 32202 (near the Yates YMCA)
Contact: Lisa Rinaman (St. Johns Riverkeeper), [email protected] 904-509-3260
Key West
Reef Relief Environmental Center
631 Greene Street, Key West, FL
Contact: Mill McCleary (Reef Relief), [email protected], 305-294-3100
Palm Bay
Palm Bay City Hall
10 a.m.
120 Malabar Road, Palm Bay, FL 32907
Contact: Spence Guerin (Brevard Coalition for Indian River Lagoon Call to Action), [email protected] 321-917-2468
Naples
Arsenault Gallery
5:30-7:30 p.m. (presentation at 6 p.m.)
Crayton Cove, 764 12th Avenue South, Naples, FL 34102
Contact: Eileen Arsenault (Arsenault gallery) [email protected], 239-263-1214
Ocala
Marion County Administration Building
601 SE 25th Avenue, Ocala, FL 34471
Contact: Barbara Schwartz (Silver Springs Alliance), [email protected] 352-216-6238
Orlando
Lake Eola Park (peninsula)
Downtown Orlando
195 N Rosalind Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801
Contact: Chuck O’Neal (League of Women Voters of Florida), [email protected] 407-399-3228
Stuart
Stuart Memorial Park
300 SE Ocean Boulevard & Georgia Avenue, Stuart, FL 34994
Contact: Marty Baum (Indian Riverkeeper), [email protected], 772-631-5827
Tallahassee
Florida State Capitol Waller Park (Dolphin Park)
500 Duval Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399
Contact: Ryan Smart (Florida Conservation Coalition), [email protected], 561-358-7191
Tampa
The Straz Center (on Riverwalk behind)
1010 N. W.C. MacInnes Place, Tampa, Florida 33602
Contacts: Patricia Kemp (Sierra Club), [email protected], 813-508-0965
Kent Bailey (Sierra Club), [email protected]
Vero Beach
The Willow School
950 43rd Ave, Vero Beach, FL 32960
Contact: Kristy Polackwich (The Willow School), [email protected], 772-538-9304
Missy Tougas (River Kidz) [email protected], 772-216-1583
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