Florida's Primary Election is Tuesday, Aug. 18. Early voting is underway

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Down the stretch they come...

With the Aug. 18 primary election less than a week away, we’re reiterating our primary endorsements:



• Amanda Cochran for Lee County Commissioner, District 5
• Christopher Collins for Martin County Commissioner, District 2
• Sarah Heard for Martin County Commissioner, District 4
• Campbell Rich for City of Stuart Commissioner, Group I
• Merritt Matheson for City of Stuart Commissioner, Group III.

We’ve also endorsed Jose Javier Rodriguez in the Florida Attorney General race, where the primary is already decided; facing no opposition, Democrat Rodriguez will square off against Republican incumbent James “Hey let’s build a prison in the middle of the Everglades!” Uthmeier.

We’ll be endorsing more candidates as we get past the primary and head toward the November general election. So stay tuned — and get out there and vote!

ICYMI: Land acquisition?

No, we have to buy hats

Last week’s “Deep Dive” investigation chronicled how money the state was supposed to spend acquiring sensitive environmental lands has largely been spent on other things including a DirecTV subscription, 1,000 camouflage baseball caps and a display booth at a Broward County Family Exposition.

In November 2014, voters overwhelmingly approved Amendment 1 to the Florida Constitution, which requires that one-third of the money paid for documentary stamp taxes on real estate transactions (aka “doc stamps”) be dedicated to the Land Acquisition Trust Fund. It wasn’t a new tax; just a different way to allocate existing revenue. And 75% of voters said “yes.”

But politicians interpreted this mandate broadly — so broadly that while significant land was acquired, millions were spent on other expenses. Today, Amendment 1 generates more than $1 billion per year - money that could be spent to “Rescue the River of Grass” — if our elected officials make it a priority. We break it all down at the link below.

Florida Weekly gets it: It's all about the water

We draw your attention to a great column in Florida Weekly by writer Roger Williams, who invokes our endorsement of Lee County Commission candidate Amanda Cochran and notes that it’s all about “the great equalizer” — water.

Williams notes that VoteWater endorsed Cochran because we are singularly focused on water issues, and Cochran is also focused on water — in particular the impact of development on Lee County’s waterways — as well as government transparency.

For the record, we like transparency just fine too.

As Williams notes, Cochran's opponent(s) seem to think clean water is some "liberal" scheme, but there's nothing partisan about it. As Williams writes, Florida needs “politicians in places like Lee and Collier Counties who have joined the WATER! party, whether or not they also call themselves Republicans, Democrats or Independents.”

For clean water is central to Florida’s economy, Florida’s future, Florida’s families; and unless we elect public officials who get it, and defend it — it's all at risk.

Wanted: More candidates who pledge to Rescue the River of Grass

Our “Rescue the River of Grass” pledge now has 35 signatories, and we're gearing up for a new push after the primary election is over. We'll reach out anew to South Florida candidates and ask them to show their support for the plan to to acquire at least 100,000 additional acres in the EAA to prevent Lake O discharges to the northern estuaries; send enough clean, fresh water south to the Everglades and Florida Bay; and protect drinking water for millions of Floridians.

If you're a candidate who hasn't yet signed, click the button below to do so — and welcome aboard!

Clean water isn't a partisan issue

Clean water shouldn’t be a red or blue issue — it’s an issue that affects every family, every community, and every Floridian.

At VoteWater, we’re working to elect leaders who will protect our water and stand up for the health and future of their communities.

Will you help us keep clean water above politics? Donate today and support candidates who believe safe, clean water is something we can all agree on.

Become a WaveMaker!