Readers of this column are well aware of the critical state of our coastal waters in Manatee County and beyond. The recent 2020 and 2021 lyngbya blooms brought the issue front and center as the harmful algae bloom choked waters and fouled the air and seagrass beds from the Manatee River to Palma Sola Bay.
If that wasn’t reason enough for alarm, the release of more than 200 million gallons of nitrogen-rich phosphate process water (with 10 times the nitrogen of raw sewage) from Piney Point, the long-defunct site on Tampa Bay, and the resulting red tide bloom in upper Tampa Bay put an exclamation mark on the failure of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s mandate to protect the state’s water resources. This led the environmental group, Suncoast Waterkeeper, and partners to file suit in federal court seeking redress.
I’ve mentioned in recent columns that these insults to Florida’s environment point to the lack of political will to effect the changes that are necessary to preserve our environment and the economy it supports. At a recent State Waterkeeper weekly Zoom meeting, Florida Sportsman Editor Blair Wickstrom addressed their most recent efforts to elicit support for their “Vote Water” Initiative. The efforts dovetail perfectly with what groups like Waterkeeper are seeking to address. This advocacy is a continuation of the magazine’s long involvement in protecting Florida anglers’ interests. Florida Sportsman’s Founder, Karl Wickstrom, and the magazine have been on the front lines continually lobbying for common-sense rules and regulations.
Their plan resonated with me immediately so I reached out to Wickstrom to hear more about Vote Water’s goals. He responded immediately with a passionate and well-reasoned argument.
“If you had to pick one reason for the lack of success in protecting our state’s water from continual degradation, it would have to be lack of political will from our elected officials to get something done,” said Wickstrom, vice president of VoteWater.
“What we have in the state of Florida is a political problem, not a party issue, but when it comes to fixing the state’s water, the political problem requires a political solution,” VoteWater president Ray Judah emphasized. “Democracy isn’t a spectator sport. If you truly want to have clean air, clean water and public officials that represent the public interest instead of the special interest, the people that vote need to be informed.”
That’s the same argument I’ve used on these pages pointing out the shared responsibility we as voters have to effect much-needed change.
“The 2018 voter cycle, when over 300,000 people engaged with the Bullsugar.org/vote, our original voter guide proved that people do indeed want to be informed,” according to Wickstrom.
The VoteWater team highlights politicians’ votes and also the amount of money they accepted from special interests.
“The Dirty Money part of the Voter Guide is definitely something we want to spend more time on in 2022,” said VoteWater board member and Fort Myers resident Wil Revehl. “As the adage says, you have to follow the money. It’s clearly the case in politics.”
“In order for people to be represented, to have a true democracy, we need to help make taking money from a special interest, such as the phosphate industry, toxic,” emphasized Revehl.
“We’re looking to expand our numbers of volunteers in the 2022 election cycle, which hopefully will allow us to cover more counties. Ideally, we can cover all 35 coastal counties in the next cycle,” Wickstrom said. “But we’ll need both money and volunteers to make that happen.”
Once again, anglers can thank Florida Sportsman for taking a major role in effecting the change that our elected officials have avoided. I encourage all my readers to join the effort by joining the coalition, volunteering, spreading the word, donating to the cause and voting for politicians that have a track record of voting for clean water and healthy fisheries.
Don’t be fooled into believing what candidates promise; check their voting records. The future of fishing in Florida and the economy hang in the balance.
