Back in Tally: will state lawmakers prioritize clean water in 2026?

It’s that time of year: The Florida Legislature is soon in session. Committee weeks have begun and bills are being filed, though nothing particularly relevant to the clean-water cause has surfaced — yet.

This session VoteWater expects that, once again, lawmakers will push bills aimed at making development easier. Some of the bad ideas and harmful bills that failed late in the 2025 session will likely return — and we’ll be watching closely for new surprises. But this year, we also plan to go on offense, supporting stronger, smarter proposals.

For a more in-depth look at what we anticipate from the Legislature in 2026, and how you can get involved, click the button below.

ICMYI: We endorse

Ken Russell for Miami Mayor

Thirteen (!) candidates are running to be the next Mayor of the City of Miami, but one stands out for his clean-water credentials — and as such, Ken Russell is VoteWater’s pick for the position.

Russell, a former Miami City District 2 Commissioner, has emphasized environmental concerns on the campaign trail and on social media. During his tenure as a city commissioner he was behind an Environmental Crimes law that can shut down construction sites that are allowing silt and construction runoff to enter the Bay. He also sponsored a resolution that banned the use of glyphosate by the city, and backed numerous other key environmental measures.

Check out more on this story on our website, and don’t miss the candidates’ responses to our clean-water survey at this link.

Trading mangroves for a warehouse in Dania Beach? Bad idea

In Dania Beach, Broward County, a controversy has erupted over a company’s plan to build a warehouse on a 3+ acre piece of land previously characterized by the county as a “Local Area of Particular Concern.”

The site teems with mangroves and wildlife. It’s part of a 21-acre area adjacent to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Dania Beach Vervet Project, a sanctuary for vervet monkeys.

The developer wants to construct a 62,000-square foot warehouse, and has pledged to preserve wetlands and maintain the mangroves and water flow on the site. But many who live in the community are outraged both by the proposal, and their local government’s response to it.

In particular, they’re angered by a letter sent by the Dania Beach City Manager to the county, saying the city had no objection to the developer’s request to change the “Local Area of Particular Concern” designation, paving the way for the project.

County staff has recommended against the change, noting among other things that “the site has a predominance of native, mature red and black mangroves, provides nursery, roosting, foraging and refuge habitat for many species.”

In other words: Wild Florida, once again at risk of falling to the bulldozers.

It is absolutely ridiculous for Dania Beach/Broward County, or any other community in the sprawling megalopolis that is South Florida, to change development rules to allow vital mangroves and mangrove habitat to be destroyed to accommodate more “economic development.”

Click here to sign the Change.org petition calling for a halt to the project, and for permanent protections for the mangrove habitat.

This may be a comparably small project — but all these “small” projects have a huge negative impact on the Florida we seek to protect and preserve.

Help us keep the pressure on!

Florida’s waters are at a breaking point — and so is the patience of the people who care about them. VoteWater is fighting to hold polluters and politicians accountable, but we can’t do it without you.

Chip in today to help us keep clean water at the top of the political agenda!

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