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Vote ‘yes’ for filthy water

2 min read

To the editor:

Election day is just around the corner and I would like to take a moment to remind everyone to vote “yes” for another decade of polluted water coming down the Caloosahatchee and destroying our estuaries. I know there isn’t a ballot for this specific issue so, in order to keep the water unsafe, un-swimmable and toxic please vote for these two biggest political proxies instead.

First, make sure you vote for the re-election of Senator Marco Rubio. Senator Rubio’s largest donors are the from Big Sugar, including the Fanjul family. Rubio has consistently supported the continuation of sugar subsidies and has done his best to introduce legislation that allows polluters to continue their back-pumping. He has historically opposed any buyouts of the lands south of Lake Okeechobee. His re-election guarantees at least another six years of unmitigated pollution.

Secondly, please check off a “yes” for Matt Caldwell for Florida House of Representatives in the 79th district, which includes Lehigh Acres and Alva. Although this is not my district, Congressman Caldwell helped sponsor and pass the House version of the most environmentally damaging anti-clean water bills on record: HB 7005 and SB 552, and continues to take donations from Big Sugar and other known polluters.

Caldwell, among many other Florida representatives, helped to make sure that Amendment No. 1 (The Florida Water and Land Conservation Initiative, 2014) was never enacted. Even with the overwhelming support of 75 percent of all Floridians, it was completely ignored. Part of the money it was supposed to generate was earmarked to be used in an option to purchase thousands of acres of the Everglades Agricultural Area, giving us some long-term hope of relief from Lake O’s releases. Luckily for all of us who support dirty water, the option expired.

With huge PAC money taking out most local clean water candidates except John Scott, who is running as a clean water candidate against Matt Caldwell in District 79, you only have two choices to ensure more dead fish, more blue-green algae and more filthy water for years to come. Vote “yes” for pollution and be sure to re-elect Rubio and Caldwell in November!

Charles Sobczak

Sanibel