he Big Sugar Summit will pull the curtain back on the sugar industry. We’ll dig as deep into the muck as we can, in one day, to uncover just how profoundly Big Sugar affects us all. You’ll get the facts regarding the sugar industry’s influence and impact on Florida and its citizens. Our speakers will represent a wide spectrum of the political, academic, scientific and advocacy realms.
The following topics will be covered:
History of Big Sugar in the EAA
Sugar’s impact on the Everglades
Sugar burning practice and impacts
Health impacts
State-level political influence
Federal-level political influence
U.S. Sugar Program
Local economy in the EAA
Sugar Hill Sector Plan
A full agenda and speaker list will be available soon.
Note: There will be a social hour immediately after the program.
“The South Florida Water Management District is directed by nine Governing Board members who set policy for the agency. They reside within the agency’s 16-county region and represent a cross section of interests, including the environment, agriculture, local government, recreation and business. Governing Board members are unpaid citizen volunteers appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Florida Senate. They generally serve four-year terms.
Kevin Powers
Vice Chair
[Term: 5/2013 – 3/2017]
At-large member for an area that includes St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.
Occupation: Partner, Indiantown Realty Corp
Professional, Business and Service Affiliations:
•
Director, Stuart Martin County Chamber of Commerce
•
Member, Indiantown Western Martin County Chamber
of Commerce
•
Former Director, United Way of Martin County
Former Vice President and Director, Martin County
Taxpayers Association
–
Former Director, Economic Council of Martin County
Support continued funding to store, clean and move more water south from Lake Okeechobee, rather than having it discharged to tide through our estuary. Recognize that CERP and CEPP projects need to be consistently funded until their completion. Note that all projects help to protect the environment while providing Jobs and Economic benefit to all communities in South Florida.
I wrote that Janeen was kind enough to give him some fish to bring to Tallahassee and he was going speak to some people on our behalf. So for five minutes we were hopeful.
It must must have been quite a trip because he came back and told us that RIck Scott, The legislature and SFWMD was our best friends. So where did the fish go? Did he just say this because some people wanted some for their desk? Did some people take the fish and then say FU to all of us? What happened in Tallahassee?
You can hear it for yourself.
The last meeting I went to I honestly thought I could a glimpse of human being on his and others faces when I asked them what was their plan to stop the discharges. Kevin spoke about being a kid on the Indian River Lagoon and going to Boy Scout Island.
He must have gotten something really good in Tallahassee. Something better than saving our drinking water, saving South Florida from salt water intrusion, recharging the aquifers, stopping the toxic discharges.
He lives here. He can’t even run away from the damage that he has done. And during this whole time he couldn’t call his friends? He couldn’t call his neighbors and say “Hey, this is what the story is. But you know what let’s figure something out. Let’s a find a solution for the pollution!”
I totally understand people having a difference of opinion. But I also expect when people are in charge and there is a problem they find solutions and they don’t play games. We have had nothing but games played. Us. The citizens of Martin County. Your friends and neighbors.
My Dad always told me to be a good friend and neighbor. Here are 10 worse neighbors in movies.
What we need is a good neighbor. Someone who is concerned about us, our economy, our water, our real estate, our welfare.
We need to have a neighbor like Wilson.
or even these guys.
than this guy
Carter Hayes (played by Michael Keaton) moves in to an apartment in a nice townhouse in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights then refuses to pay rent. Not only that, he locks himself in his room and begins to tear the place apart. Then he begins introducing thousands of cockroaches in to the house! His aim? To make the house unlivable so the owners are forced to move out of it and sell it.
And I have to wonder- is this whats happening to us?
Thank you Kenny Hinkle for this great video. This is great work.
Last Thursday SFWMD voted to terminate the 46,000 acre option on the sugar lands where our reservoir was suppose to go.
You know the one that was going clean and convey the water south they way GOD intended it and man screwed it up. Yes, that land. The one that was suppose recharge the aquifers, help stop salt water intrusion, save South Florida’s water and help us to to stop the toxic discharges.
Your job was to read the water study. What I’m confused about is why you thought we didn’t read it and talk about it and ask questions about it? We, as in all us advocates, actually talk to each other and communicate with each other daily. We share articles. .We talk about the water every day. Multiple times a day.
I also think you need to do your homework and understand what you are calling local runoff. have you ever been to western martin county? Seriously. Your a horse person and a real estate person. I’m sure your great at both. But to spit in the face of the people who have lived and breathed this water issue is unacceptable.
If you want people to treat you with respect then if has to be both ways. You were totally disrespectful.
We were getting “local runoff” and we did not have green algae. It wasn’t pretty. But before that things were clearing up and they were going test and then the ACOE opened the gates.
“If your concerned about the estuaries.” really. If you were you would understand your remarks were simply sugar speak and a big wink wink.
There is no one more well informed that the group before you. 6 months before the discharges we were documenting here and havn’t stopped.
We also have other pages where thousands of people talk to each other every day. Every day. Multiple times a day. We wake up with each and we at night time we check in to see whats going on.
So before you insult all my hard working friends who have given up their lives for this you should do your homework. Actually, they deserve an apology. You need to apologize.
You can send it here and i’ll post it. You also need to watch the video above. and then you need to resign immediately.
Of course Mitch Hutchcraft doesn’t want the land in play. He is also in real estate and I’m sure part of your golden parachute will be to build big things on this land. Good luck with that!
You cannot build big things south of the lake. Why? We are getting the discharges is to protect the people south of the lake because they are in danger because of the dike. So putting more people in danger is not an option. If you all think its ok o build then maybe it’s not as dangerous as we were told.
No offense.You are really out of touch and you have no business being part of the people who decide how to deal with our water. In fact, your entire presentation was beyond frightening.
Then my favorite part was I could hear Gayle just having a meltdown and Mr Moran telling her that she was exposed to propaganda.
really? hahahhh
That is seriously rich.
and if it propaganda why is Senator Negron promising to buy other land so we get all the scientists together and send the water south? Why?
State Sen. Joe Negron said Friday he’ll continue “full-speed ahead” seeking $500 million to buy land south of Lake Okeechobee, even though the option of getting it from the U.S. Sugar Corp. is dead.
Now if our Congressman Patrick Murphy understands this and our Senator Joe Negron Understands this. Why don’t you?
Mr Moran should have attended the Everglades Coalition meeting where we listened to real “scientists” talk about sea level rise and we went to a great session about the northern estuaries.
He should have gone he would have learned something.
or at least read a book.
Here’s a great book he can read!
Because sir, if your going to berate us. you really need to know the facts.
Just so you know the difference THIS is a propaganda campaign. Trying to stop you from polluting us, saving the water, saving the Everglades and stopping sea level rise and salt water intrusion certainly is not propaganda. But YOUR propaganda campaign is just as bad as this. Now lets all go get some coffee made from snow.
Board member Kevin Powers of Stuart made the motion to “irrevocably” terminate the option to buy 46,800 acres of U.S. Sugar land by Oct. 12. The motion was approved unanimously.”
“The deal, set to expire in October, had been fiercely championed by environmentalists as the best option for storing water from Lake Okeechobee. They envisioned the land being used to ease pressure to release polluted water into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers, allowing water managers to instead hold it until it could be moved south to Florida Bay. Parts of the bay have become far too salty, killing sea grass that provides critical habitat for marine life and driving down the number of sea trout, a fish used to measure the health of the bay.”
There are really and truly constraints out there. For me, the biggest one is financial,” said board member Sandy Batchelor.”
This is what Eric Draper had to say about her when she was reappointed
“During her service Sandy has always put the Everglades first. She does her homework, is careful with tax dollars, and shows up to make the right decisions. Governor Scott made the right call.”
Good Call Eric Draper
Apparently, she has never heard of Amendment One.
“Our frustration comes from the fact that you do not have a Plan B,’’ said former Martin County Commissioner Maggy Hurchalla. “You keep telling us what we can’t do, not what we can do.”
Well this is it isn’t it. This entire time we’ve been going no one from SFWMD has ever suggested what they would do about the issues.
Michael Grunwald came to talk to us all at the our new and improved Elliot Museum. The event was sponsored by BullSugar and anonymous supporters. It was first of what I hope will be many lectures we can attend at Elliot.
The video taken will be available at Elliot and also from Bullsugar so other’s will be able to watch.
I bought my third copy of this book last night. I have no idea where the first copy went and the second is out there somewhere. This one is signed so it stays in the bookcase.
This is one of my top ten favorite books ever. It’s not an easy read not because it’s hard to understand. There is a huge amount of detail. In order to understand the sad sad story of Everglades you have to understand the detail. You have to understand the plumbing. The Universe created The Everglades. Man screwed it up. We screwed up the plumbing
"Everglades restoration was suppose to be a storage project" with @MikeGrunwald
This was suppose to be a storage project yet there is no storage.
and he also said “There is no Plan B”
Which is correct. I think I said the same thing yesterday because we never asked (or maybe we did and they just never answered) them what was their plan to stop the discharges, recharge the aquifers, send water to the Everglades, stop salt water intrusion and prevent sea level rise. What are the people who are in charge of the plumbing doing to protect our water and deal with these issues?
Also noted Rober Coker was in the house. Robert is Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, of United States Sugar Corporation. He serves on the board of directors for the Florida Sugar Cane League, the Board of Trustees of BIZ-PAC of Palm Beach County and is a member of the Board of Governors for the Florida Chamber of Commerce. He lives here. He is also a trustee on the http://www.stuartmartinchamber.org/trustees.asp
(That’s interesting)
People got frustrated at the end because they felt Michael was defending big sugar by saying they had a right to be a business, and they have cleaned up their act. (you’ll have to watch the video when its released).
I think at the end it got a little mooshed up and Michael does not quite understand what our particular issues are here right now.
Yes, big sugar has a right to be a company, but most companies have to live and die by their own devices not on subsidies created by Corporate Wellfare. So Big Sugar pull yourselves up by your bootstraps. We don’t get Medicaid Expansion why should you get corporate subsidies.
Next, we went out there to talk to talk to these guys and they vilified us.
When this whole thing happened in 2013 we were told we had to have discharges to protect the people south of the Lake. What has been done to fix this particular spot so these people will be safe and the lake can hold more water? Why is this not fixed two years later?
The Big sugar corporation is the one behind us not getting the land to build the reservoir. It’s their influence in Tallahassee and SFWMD that is in the way of stopping our discharges, recharging the aquifers, stopping salt water intrusion, and sea level rise. Big Sugar is standing in the way of fixing the plumbing.
I could write forever and bore you all to tears but the bottom line is the bottom line.
The plumbing has to be fixed and what is the plan to do so?
Thank You Michael for coming! Hopefully one day you can come back and bring your family and go swimming in our lagoon.
Everyone else be sure to look for this video on Bullsugar.
I feel like all the work I do for the water is a full time job. It was great this week that I got to take a day off and do some training with my fellow Medical Reserve Corp volunteers.
The Florida Medical Reserve Corps Network was established to effectively facilitate the use of private volunteers in emergency response.
What is the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC)?
The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is a national network of local groups of volunteers committed to improving the health, safety and resiliency of their communities. MRC volunteers include medical and public health professionals, as well as others interested in strengthening the public health infrastructure and improving the preparedness and response capabilities of their local jurisdiction. MRC units identify, screen, train and organize the volunteers, and utilize them to support routine public health activities and augment preparedness and response efforts.
Program Overview
The Florida Medical Reserve Corps Network comprises 33 Florida MRC units covering all 67 Florida counties.
Florida Medical Reserve Corps units are community-based and function to locally organize and utilize health professionals and other volunteers who want to donate their time and expertise to promote community health and respond to emergencies.
The following occupations represent some of Florida’s MRC Volunteer specialties.
Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner
Clinical Social Worker
Counselor, Mental Health
EMT-Basic
Licensed Practical Nurse
Marriage & Family Therapist
Medical Records and Health Information Technologist
Medical and Clinical Lab Technician
Medical and Clinical Lab Technologist
Paramedic
Pharmacist
Physician
Physician Assistant
Psychologist
Radiologic Technologist / Technician
Registered Nurse
Respiratory Therapist
Social Worker
Veterinarians
Also, the MRC needs non medical people to assist. By joining I’ve been able to go to some really interesting educational opportunities and some I even get credit for. I’d much rather go to active learning then sit in a chair all day and it gives you a good opportunity to meet other medical people in your community besides the ones you work with.
The Florida MRC has saved the state over 1 billions dollars.
Every time there is a disaster I ache to go there and help. The first time I did work like this was after Hurricane Andrew.
me in homestead after hurricane andrew
homestead after hurricane andrew
homestead after hurricane andrew
hurricane andrew medical team
The exercise was called the
Black Pearl Radiological Exercise.
cool swag t
Black Pearl is the name of the room at the really awesome Treasure Coast Public Safety Complex in PSL. The same training center the fireman complained about during the last election. Seriously great venue. I think if its good enough for the entire state to come to it should be good enough for the Martin County Firemen. Took me 35 minutes to get there from Jensen Beach
We hope it never happens but in reality we have to be ready if it does.
One of the best parts of the day is pets were included today and we had some awesome dogs.
I am pleased we are including pets and other animals. In case of an emergency we just can’t leave them and run. One of the issues we had after Hurricane Katrina is that a bunch of NGO’s went up there and created more havoc then good. One of goals of this team is to reunite pets with their families. That made me so happy.
A while back there was a huge fire in Boulder and people had relocate their horses to the fairgrounds. Once an area was evacuated there was no going back.
We have a lot different kinds of animals and they need to be dealt with. Cows, goats, chickens (I’m not sure if you can decontaminate a chicken.)
I felt like I was with my people! Andy made this – He called it SART Identification! LOL So good to know there are compassionate experts on the ground in case of a disaster.
I love the paw marks.
You don’t have to be an expert to be part of the team. I’m certainly not. Experts are provided. We had plenty of acronyms there today.
So if you have some time contact your local Medical Reserve Corp. I promise they will only call you when they need you.
May the fourth be with you! Toxic algae, discharging St Lucie locks.
On May 4th our friend Katy Lewey, river warrior, founder of the River Kidz of St Lucie and Indian River County put together a gathering so we could all be there when the locks open.
st lucie locks may 4, 2015
They have been open but were recently closed due to the discovery of Toxic green algae at Port Mayaca.
In the past few years we are blessed to have great news teams that show up and we show up for them.
In between, the new’s cycle we decided to take a ride to Port Mayaca to see the green toxic algae for ourselves.
When we got there we found Ben, an employee of SFWMD. I have lots of friends who work or worked for them. Good People. Dedicated Scientists.
He was taking water samples of both sides of the locks.
This is what we saw on the inside of the locks.
Slime crimes.
We all documented.
Algae buster mammas.
Then we went to the overpass for a nice wide shot.
you can see the green by the gates. There is also a section off to the right that is not in the photo.
I was not there last week so I have no basis of comparison but I can say the weather has been cooler and this stuff thrives on two things according to my ORCA friend and past Indian RiverKeeper George Jones : Heat and nutrients. So I have no idea what will come next because of the the cool weather. Will it come down and just hang stagnant until it gets hot and then bloom? George said it sucks the o2 out of the water and at night it goes underwater so it just doesn’t sit on the top it goes to the bottom and it sucks the o2 thus killing everything underneath.
A harmful algal bloom (HAB) is an algal bloom that causes negative impacts to other organisms via production of natural toxins, mechanical damage to other organisms, or by other means.
armful algal blooms have been observed to cause adverse effects to a wide variety of aquatic organisms, most notably marine mammals, sea turtles, seabirds and finfish. The impacts of HAB toxins on these groups can include harmful changes to their developmental, immunological, neurological, or reproductive capacities. The most conspicuous effects of HABs on marine wildlife are large-scale mortality events associated with toxin-producing blooms. For example, a mass mortality event of 107 bottlenose dolphins occurred along the Florida panhandle in the spring of 2004 due to ingestion of contaminated menhaden with high levels of brevetoxin.[8] Manatee mortalities have also been attributed to brevetoxin but unlike dolphins, the main toxin vector was endemic seagrass species (Thalassia testudinum) in which high concentrations of brevetoxins were detected and subsequently found as a main component of the stomach contents of manatees.[8]
Immune system responses have been affected by brevetoxin exposure in another critically endangered species, the Loggerhead sea turtle. Brevetoxin exposure, via inhalation of aerosolized toxins and ingestion of contaminated prey, can have clinical signs of increased lethargy and muscle weakness in loggerhead sea turtles causing these animals to wash ashore in a decreased metabolic state with increases of immune system responses upon blood analysis.[10] Examples of common harmful effects of HABs include:
the production of neurotoxins which cause mass mortalities in fish, seabirds, sea turtles, and marine mammals
human illness or death via consumption of seafood contaminated by toxic algae[11]
mechanical damage to other organisms, such as disruption of epithelial gill tissues in fish, resulting in asphyxiation
oxygen depletion of the water column (hypoxia or anoxia) from cellular respiration and bacterial degradation
Algae are vitally important to marine and fresh-water ecosystems, and most species of algae are not harmful. Algal blooms occur in natural waters used for drinking and/or recreation when certain types of microscopic algae grow quickly in water, often in response to changes in levels of chemicals such as nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizer, in the water. Algal blooms can deplete the oxygen and block the sunlight that other organisms need to live, and some can produce toxins that are harmful to the health of the environment, plants, animals, and people.
Please also see this blog post about pets and toxic algae.
I met him at our first rally. He was “Mista Big Sugar” You can see him here in this video and you can also see that the locks were closed that day and they have been closed every single time we go out there.
Except for when Rick Scott was there ( we were not allowed in but he was) and when we did the “Keep them closed “protest.
The issue of “civil disobedience” comes up every one in a while. It usually results in all of getting upset. I personally think if people want to do this then its a issue of free choice. If you want to do this then you tell people about it and you give them a choice of what they want to do. I can’t. I won’t. Because I think if you want to do this, really want to do this ,then you have to be prepared to go to jail. I’m not. I cherish my nursing license too much and I couldn’t do what I do every day with out without it. All of us that are credentialed have worked to hard to be able to stay credentialed. For those of those don’t believe me you can go read the nurse practice act.
I also wonder about why anyone would want to do it. I just get never got it as a viable way to do things. I think its born out of frustration and we have so many incredibly smart creative people that are so supportive of each other that we can think better smarter ways to do things as we have in the past. JMHO You have yours. i have mine. RESPECT.
Except this time.
The best things that happen to us happen organically.
Ezra keeps chalk in his car.
So on Sunday, May 3 ,he went to the locks and he wrote
“Buy the land along with his fish symbol that he created.”
Boy did he get in trouble. This upset the policeman so much (our babysitter which is so funny because we have never ever ever ever done anything close to civil disobedience and really insist on being well behaved.
Here he is on government land drawing away with chalk.
photo by Darrel Brand
Photo by Darell Brand
Photo by Darrel Brand
photo by Darrel Brand
A Discussion ensued. It’s Government land. It’s Graffiti.
It’s hysterical. and its ironic if its anything.
The chalk will wash away when we get huge amounts of rain tomorrow. (It would wash away with a little sprinkle)
The green toxic the ACOE is going to send us. Well that’s another story.
This is what Ezra said.
“ I was told to stop what I was doing or face being arrested, as it was considered graffiti on Federal Property. Using sidewalk chalk to draw an image of a fish and the words #SENDTHEWATERSOUTH is apparently a no no. Meanwhile toxic algae was deliberately released into our rivers today. Yet for over 60 plus years, no arrests or fines have ever been made: 1972 Clean Water Act, 1996 Fl Polluters Pay Amendment, Our “Lost Summer” of 2012, dying marine life and sea grass beds, real estate values plummeting and economic losses in the millions. Okay I get it. Next time I’ll just draw images of $ and sugar cane fields!”
So today we went out there because the discharges were starting and someone at ACOE actually had to gall to say that the gate was locked due to yesterdays “Eco terrorist” activities. Seriously. Are you kidding me?
apparently there is an issue with sidewalk chalk. Who knew?
While these charges are clearly political (chalk, after all, washes off sidewalks harmlessly) – a scary article from Mother Jones reported recently that at least 50 people have been arrested across the US in the last five years for drawing on sidewalks.
Many of these aren’t political protestors. They’re the parents of four and six-year-old children engaging in fun and harmless summer activity. One mom in Richmond, Virginia was arrested and sentenced to 50 hours of community service for letting her child draw on rocks in a local park – and reports that her daughter is now “very nervous around cops” and “very scared of chalk.”
Apparently writing with Chalk is a gateway crime. Please people keep the chalk away from your children.
Thousands of us have been at these locks. We have had numerous events,
renting out the campgrounds, leaving it cleaner than what we found it, and like I said before the locks have been closed to us every time but once. Which really sucks because the best shot it from the other side. Camera shots people. Don’t get your panties in a bunch.
***VIDEO CHALLENGE AND PROTEST*** DEMAND CLEAN WATER! Meet us at Phipps park and we can all stand together! Ask your elected officials to CANCEL THE DISCHARGES and BUY THE LAND! This Sunday, make a video on your phone, make sure to include those two messages in a peaceful video and submit it on to FB. Tag 3 of your friends and ask them to make their own video and do the same about why we want to stop the discharges and buy the land. Time is running out! Enough is enough!
We came! We Marched! We uploaded video all at the same time.
Why? To create awareness because apparently even after we were dumped on, had our estuary and economy destroyed, had multiple protests with up to 7,000 people, went to DC, went to Tallahassee, had dozens of events, took thousands of hours of video, took a gazillion photos, wrote hundreds of letters, emails and tweets we are at this moment in time right back where we started from at the very beginning.
Toxic Algae Eve.
Why?
Because the ACOE thinks this stuff will dissipate when it hits the brackish water because that worked so well before. We have been rejected by our own legislators, our water management district. Everyone. Poisoning us is ok with everyone. Except us.
does not want to buy any conservation land. He won’t even discuss it. He won’t even let us know if he understands why this particular piece of land is important. Senator Alan Hay, the same thing. We’re paying attention.
You want to make all the people behave and listen then you are responsible for the destruction of the St Lucie River and the Indian River Lagoon. This is on you.
Green Toxic Algae is poised and ready to be sent down our water ways that will result in the horrible destruction of our Estuary, our sea grass, our oysters, our health and the health of all life that lives in the St Lucie River and the Indian RIver Lagoon.
You can go back and read this blog especially here.
I brought the issue up to date and included the video from the Sugarland Rally when we went to Clewiston with open hearts and the Sugar Rulers instead of seeing that one day we would need a solution to this issue basically blackballed our good efforts. Maybe if back then the people would have come and thought for themselves we could have come up with a solution.
and you can go here and read our documentation of this issue for the past 2 1/2 years
We have truly done everything possible. We have confronted the ACOE, Rick Scott, the South Florida Water Management District, our legislators. All have fallen on deaf ears.
On a positive note we have educated thousands of people to this issue.
We have documented these issues so no one can say this never happened.
We could write a book. ( and then leave town lol)
We, not being one or two individuals but an entire community of the most dedicated people I have ever met. We are all part of one big puzzle. No one greater than the other. Without the pieces we are incomplete. We all have our jobs. Organically. Not manipulated. And hopefully we’ll stay that way.
We all sit here today and worry about what’s going to happen on Monday when the locks open up.
I come back to my original question when this happened in 2013. How can the intentional destruction of the most diverse estuary in North America be legal? How is the intentional poisoning of our St Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon allowed in the United States of America?
This has got to stop.
We have two events. One on Sunday and one on Monday.
Thank goodness for Orca and the Killroys and Edie Widder.
“Lead scientist Edith “Edie” Widder noted that high concentrations of algae are being found in canals that stretch into agricultural areas of western St. Lucie County but not in the creeks that run from suburban areas into the river and lagoon.”
Lake O May 1 facts:
1) 581 million gallons a day released to the St Lucie River.
2) 1.3 billion gallons a day released to the Caloosahatcee river
3) The discharges waste water that would replenish the Everglades.
4) The discharges strips our basic human right to clean drinking water.
5) The discharges will destroy water quality by moving a toxic into our homes resulting in massive fish kills and making the water unsafe for human contact.
Other things that you can do. Thank goodness for our wonderful Maggy!
1. Call YOUR legislator. They mostly don’t care if you don’t vote in their district. Other than grabbing them and shaking them, nothing is more effective than a phone call. You can get the phone number of your representatives and senators from several websites – Audubon, cleanwater.com, the Everglades Foundation. The message is simple. Use Amendment 1 money to buy land. Exercise the US Sugar option.
2. Get two other people to do the same thing.
3 Send emails to your legislators. That’s not “instead of.” Call them AND send them emails. Get two other people to do the same thing.
4. Get the Dade County Commission and the Dade legislative delegation to take a strong public stand.
4. Email and call the governor, the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House.
5. Sign every online petition you can find that says, “Buy the land. Send the water south.” Get two other people to do likewise.
6. Go to rallies and wave signs.
7. Write letters to the editor.
8. Take names. Most legislators care only about their home district. Those running for higher office are aware that the rest of us matter. They think we are forgetful.
and sign these petitions:
If you haven’t signed all these petitions, sign ’em and pass them on to others.
cyndi lenz 