A longtime advocate of clean water and Everglades restoration, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava — who boasts the nickname “Water Warrior” — will work with other electeds across Florida to address the algae blooms and other water quality issues that plague the state.
Levine Cava was selected to serve on the Florida Association of Counties’ (FAC) Water Policy Committee alongside 36 other county commissioners from across the state’s other 66 counties.
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“I am honored and excited to represent Miami-Dade County on the Water Policy Committee as water is our most critical natural resource,” Levine Cava said in a statement. “Water is the foundation of our communities and our economy; it must be protected and conserved.”
As a member of the Water Policy Committee, Levine Cava will take her conservation agenda and get to address the widespread water crisis affecting Florida coastlines, lakes, springs, estuaries and rivers.
“A number of local leaders from across the state stepped forward to participate,” said FAC President and Hendry County Commissioner, Karson Turner. “This committee represents the diverse water needs from every water basin in the state and their commitment to their communities and willingness to address these recurring issues head on.”
The committee was created with a mission for counties to set policy priorities on the local, state and federal level and will work with the state and Governor Ron DeSantis who signed Executive Order 19-12, in response to the algae blooms that last year threatened our ecosystems — and our tourism — shortly after being elected. In addition to securing $2.5 billion for Everglades restoration over the next four years, and placing a priority on water quality and supply, the order emphasizes the need to engage local government officials in the protection of Florida’s vulnerable coastline and natural resources.
The Water Policy Committee will meet for the first time during the FAC’s Legislative Day in Leon County on March 27. More information and a full list of the Water Policy Committee members — Lee, Martin, Marion and Volusia counties got two commissioners on there instead of just one — can be viewed on the FAC website: www.fl-counties.com.