By David Jones, Democratic Candidate for District 75, Florida House of Representatives Because of the current USA political system, whereby our officials are often elected by the size of their wallet or their beholden special interests, we can no longer exclusively trust our government to assure environmental justice. I believe that environmental protection should be…
Florida’s persistent blue-green algae problem in waterways has already been linked to respiratory problems. Now, a team of researchers, led by a University of Miami neurology professor, have found that the toxin in those algae blooms can lead to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a debilitating and progressive neurodegnerative disease that destroys nerve cells in the…
by Phyllis Wojcik, President, Charlotte County Democratic Environmental Council Over thirty individuals attended 24 Hours of Reality: Truth in Action on, a global conversation on the truth of the climate crisis and how we solve it. Alessia Leathers, a leader from The Climate Reality Project, joined volunteers around the world holding public presentations and conversations…
The Englewood Pioneer Days Parade on Saturday hosted a tremendous turnout by members of the Democratic Party. Our neighbors showed robust support with cheers and positive reactions to the festive Award-Winning float. More than two dozen members of the newly established Englewood Democratic Club were joined by members of the Charlotte Co. DEC, Democratic Club,…
The Florida Democratic Party has approved a new party platform which includes the Rights of Nature. This is believed to be the first time such a provision has been included in a state political party platform in the United States. The platform reads: We resolve to adequately protect our waters, support communities’ rights in reclaiming…
CharlotteDems.com Editor’s note: The following letter to the editor by CCDEC Secretary Jane Merriam was published in the Charlotte Sun on Friday, Oct. 4. Editor: The concentration levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have risen from 339 parts per million in 1980 to 408 parts per million in 2018. Global sea levels have…
About 100 people from five counties near Mosaic phosphate mining and fertilizer operations showed up at an open house Monday for a final chance to ask questions from state regulators and company representatives. Many people at the meeting noted hazardous waste has spilled into rivers and streams in the hundred-plus years of the phosphate industry…
Alexis Loukota is the vice president of the Youth Democratic Committee for Charlotte County. Asked why people might object to climate change policies, she said, “It’s nice to live in ignorant bliss.” “You don’t know how heartening it was to me to see all the young kids out here,” said Nancy Razvoza, president of the…
by Phyllis Wojcik, Charlotte County Democratic Environmental Caucus Chair The Charlotte County Democratic Environmental Caucus invites you and friends to join us on Saturday September 21, 2019 to clean-up the beaches and land area surrounding the beaches. There are a couple of locations to choose from where you can find us. Punta Gorda- Lashley Marina…
by Victor Coscia “Why spend the time going to school to learn if there will no planet left for us to live on when we get out?” This is a quote from Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old from Stockholm Sweden who walked out of classes several years ago to protest climate change. She was later joined…
A Port Charlotte girl said all you need is two hands and time to make the world a better place. Alexa Poulin is wearing a sash because she was just named “Today’s International Woman Junior Queen of Queens.” But Alexa’s reason for running was not to put on a crown. She ran to put an…
The horrible fires in the Amazon rain forest might bring memories of a 1992 movie, “Medicine Man”, Starring Sean Connery and Lorraine Brocco. “Medicine Man” was about a biologist, Robert Campbell (Connery) who was studying native plants for their medicinal properties to cure diseases such as cancer. He built a makeshift lab in the rain…
UPDATE! – UPDATE! – UPDATE! Parade, including the float, has been postponed Due to Hurricane (SEE THIS ARTICLE) by Think Blue — Vote Green! About three months ago a group of people from West Charlotte County and South Sarasota county came together. Our goal was as always, to increase Democratic turn out in the two…
by Mary Lundeberg, Secretary, Charlotte County Democratic Environment Caucus A plan to monitor water-quality on the Peace River and other area waterways is getting closer to being fulfilled. Suncoast Waterkeepers wants to monitor water quality by developing a network of trained volunteers who will gather water samples from the Alafia, Little Manatee, Braden, Myakka and…
Nitrogen from improperly treated sewage and fertilizer runoff from farms and lawns is starving Florida Keys corals to death, according to a new study published in the journal Marine Biology. The study led by Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Looe Key, in the Florida Keys, showed that higher nutrient levels in Florida waters is…
Florida lawmakers came away from this spring’s session congratulating themselves on the heroic job they did in defense of Florida’s environment. After the Rick Scott years, that wasn’t hard. Unfortunately, it wasn’t true. (Read more in Sun-Sentinel.com)
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has launched a new interactive algal bloom dashboard . This dashboard is a visual enhancement to its existing sampling database. This data has been publicly available on DEP’s website, but previously did not allow the public to easily see where algal blooms were occurring in Florida. The algal bloom…
NBC-2.com WBBH News for Fort Myers, Cape Coral & Naples, Florida All eyes are on Florida this week as 20 Democrats will battle it out in round one of the Democratic Debates The debate takes place in Miami on Wednesday. Climate change is expected to take center stage. Toxic algae, rising tides, and a hurricane-battered…
As 20 Democratic candidates arrive in Miami this week for the first round of presidential debates, the region of tide-swollen floods, hurricane-battered communities and toxic-algae infestations is providing a vivid backdrop for an issue that has emerged as a top priority for many voters: climate change. (Read more in MiamiHerald.com)
Nearly half of Charlotte County Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida (CCDECF) membership traveled to Orlando this past weekend to help elect officers for the statewide environmental caucus. Phyllis Wojcik CCDECF president, proudly reports, “We had 10 members go to the Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida (DECF) elections. We have a total of 26 official members…