Florida’s water quality has continued to decline despite previous attempts to clean up our waterways. The Florida Right to Clean and Healthy Water Amendment aims to empower Floridians to ensure that agencies enforce policies to protect our waters. Florida Oceanographic advocates for strengthening and enforcement of water quality standards. The linked petition below is the first step in getting the amendment on the 2024 ballot where voters will decide whether to amend the Florida Constitution.
What does the amendment do?
This amendment creates an enforceable, fundamental right to clean and healthy waters, authorizing a person to sue for equitable relief when a State executive agency, by action or inaction, allows harm or threat of harm to Florida waters. This amendment provides for strict judicial scrutiny of such action or inaction; adds to available remedies; identifies affected constitutional provisions; provides for enforcement; defines terms; and requires attorney’s fees and costs to prevailing plaintiffs.
What does that mean in plain English?
The amendment creates a fundamental right to clean and healthy waters, clarifies prohibited actions and inactions that harm (or threaten to harm) waters, and defines important terms. It also allows Floridians to enforce this right through the ability to sue state executive agencies that violate this right, empowering courts to look at the science and truth (and not politics) of what’s going on before awarding equitable relief to the situation.
