Melissa Martin

Oregon

Melissa ("Mel") Martin was born and raised in Longwood, Florida, where she enjoyed a nature-rich childhood in Central Florida's springs, lakes, rivers, beaches, and parks.  She graduated from the US Naval Academy with a Major in Political Science and Minor in the Spanish language and was commissioned a US Marine Corps Officer.  As a Captain, she earned her Juris Doctorate from Barry University School of Law, served in various legal capacities, and retired as a Staff Judge Advocate in 2014.  Mel and her husband returned to Central Florida, settling in Cocoa, to raise their three boys.

The state of Florida's environmental degradation compelled Mel to become active in clean water advocacy and conservation.  In 2016, she served as an Area Captain for a statewide alliance against fracking in Florida, helping to defeat a pro-fracking bill.  Soon after, a massive fish kill in the Indian River Lagoon demanded the community’s attention.  Mel helped establish and led a countywide coalition to educate voters in supporting a half-cent sales tax to raise just under $500 Million over 10 years toward restoration projects for the Lagoon; the referendum passed, supported by every precinct in the County.  Understanding the need for sound environmental lawmaking in Tallahassee, to include funding infrastructure upgrades, she ran for Florida Senate in 2018.  Falling short but learning a great deal, Mel turned her attention to educating the next generation of advocates as an Adjunct Law Professor at her alma mater, teaching Water Pollution Law and Environmental Ethics. 

She served on various boards, including the Brevard County Citizen Oversight Committee of the Save Our Indian River Lagoon Funds, the City of Cocoa Sustainability Advisory Committee, and Friends of the Enchanted Forest nonprofit.  With a substantial understanding of the environmental regulatory system and its inherent weaknesses, Mel was drawn to and has been supporting the Rights of Nature movement in Florida.  The summer of 2020 saw an opportunity for her family, moving them to Eugene, Oregon for their next adventure.