When will this SFWMD seat be filled?

Hey, remember JTL? We do. Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch was a dogged advocate for the Treasure Coast region during her time on the South Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board, often agitating — politely but firmly — for clean-water solutions for her community.

But in Florida that sort of thing gets you blacklisted, and so it was that in early 2023, the Florida state Senate failed to reconfirm Thurlow-Lippisch for a new term. Her time on the board ran out in June 2023; and her seat, representing the Treasure Coast, has been vacant ever since.

If you’re counting, that’s 17 months. And while at-large SFWMD Governing Board member Cheryl Meads does represent Treasure Coast interests — along with Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties — we’re approaching two years without direct representation for one of the regions most vulnerable to dirty-water problems — see our item below on Lake Okeechobee discharges.

That effectively robs the region of its voice. Maybe that’s the idea.

But perhaps you’d like to ask Gov. DeSantis why the seat is still vacant, and when he plans to fill it. Email him at [email protected]; call (850) 488-7146; or write a personalized letter and send it to: Office of Governor Ron DeSantis, State of Florida, The Capitol, 400 S. Monroe St.Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001.

It’s way past time to right this “oversight,” which only underscores our belief that Florida’s water problems are ultimately a political problem — solvable only by political change.

Our 'Discharge Ticker' is ready to go; are you?

You may recall earlier this year when discharges from Lake Okeechobee were pummeling the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries, and we introduced our "Discharge Ticker" to track how many days of abuse our estuaries were forced to endure.

We're sorry to say the discharges may soon return — and so will our ticker.

On Saturday, Dec. 7, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to commence “Recovery Operations," sending up to 2,100 cubic feet of water per second (cfs) from Lake Okeechobee to the Caloosahatchee; up to 1,400 cfs to the St. Lucie (figure includes basin runoff); and 300 cfs to the Lake Worth Lagoon. The Corps will also make “maximum practicable” releases south.

VoteWater’s Gil Smart was quoted in this WGCU report: “We understand the lake’s in bad condition but unfortunately, the estuaries are also in bad condition... The water quality is terrible and discharge is only going to add insult to injury.”

Releases could last until June 1, though Army Corps officials say they'll likely wind down by May. Still, our ticker could be well into triple digits by the time it's all over. And that's absolutely horrific news for the northern estuaries.

But you can TAKE ACTION NOW by visiting our friends at Friends of the Everglades, who make it easy to send a letter to the Corps demanding Recovery Operations not be initiated.

And stay tuned, because we’re covering this until the floodgates close.

Vote ‘em all out!

News item out of northwest Florida, where voters in the Panhandle town of Milton just defeated all four incumbents running for re-election to the town’s city council.

There were numerous issues involved, but looming large was a plan to build a new sewage treatment plant on a site poorly suited for it. The existing plant is out of capacity and dumping treated effluent into the Blackwater River. Developers want the town to build a new plant with more capacity (of course) but citizens fear the proposed site is prone to erosion and building the plant there could create major environmental problems.

Citizens wanted the site moved. City Council members resisted. And so citizens elected new, friendlier faces to the council. It may not solve all their problems — but it’s a start.

We relate this story simply because YOU COULD DO THE SAME THING. We forget sometimes that elected officials work for us — and we can fire them if they take too much “Dirty Money,” if they do the bidding of developers and other special interests rather than serving the people.

And it’s happening. In Manatee County’s primary election earlier this year, voters ousted two commissioners deemed to be too close to developers. In Martin County, 24-year county commissioner Doug Smith, seen by many as a tool of developers, lost decisively.

To quote “The Mandalorian”: This is the way.

And Florida needs to see a whole lot more of it.

Floridians DON'T have the right to clean water; but you can change that

VoteWater supports the drive to get a right to clean water amendment on the 2026 Florida ballot, and you can too! Sign the petition, make a donation, volunteer your time and help Floridians secure a future with clean and safe water for all.