Take the Clean Water DECLARATION straight to DEP!

from Cris Costello Over the next four weeks the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will hold a series of public meetings to take input on prioritizing the state’s water quality monitoring and restoration efforts for the next two years. Meetings are scheduled in West Palm Beach, Fort Myers, Pensacola, Orlando and Bartow. It is important that local clean water advocates are in attendance. These meetings are an excellent opportunity to take the Floridians’ Clean Water Declaration straight to DEP officials. We are encouraging activists to: 1. Be present and vocal at your upcoming local DEP meeting. 2. Ask DEP representatives at each meeting to sign the Declaration. 3. Send a loud and clear "stop pollution at its source" message. Don’t be surprised if they won’t sign the Declaration – just asking and questioning will send a powerful message. See below for a full list of meeting dates and locations, and click here to see the full announcement from DEP. The meetings will help determine when Total Maximum Daily Loads and Basin Management Action Plans are developed and implemented for Florida's waters. Don’t let the technical nature of the presentation keep you from attending – anyone who cares about water quality should be there. WEST PALM BEACH: Wednesday, March 5, 2014, 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. (EST) PLACE: South Florida Water Management District Headquarters, B1 Auditorium, 3301 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach, FL 33406 FORT MYERS: Thursday, March 6, 2014, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (EST) PLACE: South Florida Water Management District Lower West Coast Service Center, Main Conference Room, 2301 McGregor Boulevard, Fort Myers, FL 33901 PENSACOLA: Thursday, March 13, 2014, 12:30 p.m. (CST) to 3:30 p.m. (CST) PLACE: Florida Department of Environmental Protection Northwest District Office, Conference Room 101, 1st Floor, 160 W. Government St. Pensacola, FL 32502 ORLANDO: Tuesday, March 25, 2014, 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (EST) PLACE: Florida Department of Environmental Protection Central District Office, Conference Rooms A, B, and C, 3319 Maguire Boulevard, Suite 232, Orlando, FL 32803 BARTOW: Wednesday, March 26, 2014, 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (EST) PLACE: Southwest Florida Water Management District Bartow Service Office, Bartow Board Room, 170 Century Boulevard, Bartow, FL 33637

   One meeting was already held in Live Oak on February 25.

   All meeting materials (agendas, presentations, and handouts) have been posted to DEP site at this link: http://publicfiles.dep.state.fl.us/dear/watershed/2014_Monitoring_Assessment_Restoration_Priorities_Mtgs/

Thank you,
Cris Costello

Regional Organizing Representative

Sierra Club

2815 Proctor Road

Sarasota, FL 34231-6443

cris.costello@sierraclub.org