First rights of nature measure in Florida moves to county vote
Photo: John Moran
March 4, 2020
The Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights (CDER) congratulates our partners Speak Up Wekiva in Orange County, Florida, for successfully advancing a proposed rights of nature measure to a vote in November 2020. We have worked with them over the past year on a measure to protect the rights of the Wekiva and other waterways in the county.
Today, the Orange County Charter Review Commission voted to place the measure on the November county ballot. It will protect the rights of the Wekiva River, the Econlockhatchee River, and all other water bodies in Orange County.
Orange County is the thirtieth largest county in the United States by population.
Today’s vote occurred as Speak Up Wekiva and its allies fight efforts by the state legislature to prohibit Florida communities from protecting the rights of nature. Preemption bills are now moving through both the Florida House and Senate, even as rivers and other water bodies across the state face severe algae blooms, pollution, and other threats.
CDER congratulates Speak Up Wekiva and the newly-minted Florida Rights of Nature Network (FRONN) for their significant efforts to build a statewide movement for the rights of nature across Florida.
