Rubio's replacement: Who will fight for clean water, Everglades restoration?

Looks like Sen. Marco Rubio could be moving on up.

And that could have a big impact on the clean-water cause.

As first reported last weekend, President-Elect Donald Trump is set to nominate Rubio Secretary of State. If so — who will replace him?

And what will it mean for the clean-water cause?

Rubio is famously close with the Fanjul family, owners of sugar giant Florida Crystals; his replacement could be less "sugared up," more amenable to revising the Sugar Program in the Farm Bill. But whomever gets the seat, Floridians need that person to be dedicated to cleaner water and Everglades restoration, someone who'll fight for us — instead of Big Sugar.

For a look at who might replace Rubio and how it could impact our waterways, check out our latest blog post at VoteWater.org.

FDEP director out; replacement has no environmental background

You might have seen the news last week that Florida DEP Secretary Shawn Hamilton was stepping down; he’ll be replaced by Alexis Lambert, chief of staff of the state’s division of bond finance since 2018.

There’s speculation that Hamilton’s departure is fallout from the aborted state parks development proposal; back in September we wondered why no one had been held accountable for that fiasco. Maybe this is what accountability looks like.

While Hamilton was no crusader, he seemed generally amenable to the clean-water cause (which, in Florida, is sometimes the most you can expect). Lambert could be different.

First, unlike Hamilton, she has no environmental background.

Second, she’s the daughter of the late Pete Antonacci, a longtime political “fixer” in Tallahassee who among other things served as Executive Director of the South Florida Water Management District during one of its less “enlightened” periods.

So there’s reason to be wary of this change at FDEP. We’ll be watching — and rest assured we’ll let you know all about it.

Everglades restoration could fight red tide

Human activity doesn’t cause red tide — but we can make it worse.

But could Everglades restoration actually make things better?

A new study published in the peer-reviewed Florida Scientist reports “a statistically significant correlation between nutrient loads discharged by the Caloosahatchee River and the intensity and duration of red tide.”

Specifically, the more nitrogen-laden water released from the river, the greater the chance nearby red tide blooms will grow larger, intensify and last longer. Where red tide is already present, hurricanes can increase water volumes flowing from the river; so can discharges from Lake Okeechobee.

And then: Look out.

Scientists interviewed by the Sarasota Herald Tribune said the main problem is the volume of water; as such, fixing wastewater problems upstream won’t solve the problem. Any solution, they say, has to include more water storage around Lake O.

Bottom line, as one of the study’s co-authors said, is that “Sarasota County has a stake in the restoration of the Everglades.” Said another: “If you want to make a difference, you have to be willing to replumb Florida.”

We are. Let’s go.

We're looking for a few water warriors!

If you’ve got a passion for clean water — and understand how politics and “dirty money” contribute to dirty water — we'd love to hear from you.

VoteWater, a 501(c)(4) political organization focused on electing clean-water candidates and generating the political will for change, is seeking candidates for our Board of Directors. We're looking for people who can help focus our vision, guide our activism and help us make a difference.

If interested, shoot us an email at [email protected] and tell us about yourself — and how you can help.

On #GivingTuesday, we ask for your support

Giving Tuesday is approaching, a global day of giving and unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform our communities and our world.

At VoteWater our work for cleaner water and better political representation is powered by your generosity. Everything from the Dirty Money Project to our activism on the aborted state parks development plan, from our political endorsements and “Deep Dive” investigations and more is all funded by you. So we humbly ask that this Giving Tuesday, Dec. 3, you consider giving to VoteWater so we can do more for our waterways — and for your community.

P.S. — Have you signed the Right to Clean Water petition? VoteWater supports the proposed amendment to ensure Floridians a legal right to clean and healthy waters, but the proposal must get on the ballot before we can vote for it, and that means we need YOUR signature. Visit the Right to Clean Water website, download and sign the petition and send it in — or drop it off at our office at 3727 SE Ocean Blvd., Suite 200A, Stuart, FL 34996.