Sierrans, Riverkeepers, and others at the Capitol
(Photo by John Pilecki)
Sierrans, other environmentalists
lobby for a liveable, susatainable Florida
A 14-member Northeast Florida Sierra Club group went to Tallahassee last month to lobby state legislators on the issues we hold dear this legislative session: single use plastics, a complete ban on fracking, and using Amendment 1 conservation money soley for that.
We weren’t the only ones. The state Capitol hallways pulsed with groups of all kinds, each politely pushing for their special interests. The most anyone could hope for was 10 or 15 minutes to speak to a legislator or an aide. We had time only to pitch our causes: We boiled complicated and sometimes subtle issues down to a few talking points, presented our handouts, thanked everyone for their time, and moved on. On the way out, we passed the next group moving in.
The question loomed
: Was what we were doing merely symbolic or did we actually accomplish something?
To Barbara Gubbin, our Sierra group leader, the answer was unequivocal. It’s effective and it’s part of a long-term whole, she said. She’s the former director of the Jacksonville public library system and has spent lots of time lobbying on library issues.
“Relationships are everything,” she said after the trip. “I am fortunate to have known many of our Duval County legislators for some years, some as City Council members, another at the Superintendent of Elections Office, and have got to know their aides. If you are known as honest and knowledgeable, they respect you as you respect them even when you don't agree.”
She added, “I thought it was a useful day. We spoke to both aides and legislators, clearly articulated our issues and what we wanted from them, and followed up. And they know we will continue to follow up and inform them and support them on environmental issues when they make the right moves. I think you advocate any way you can. The legislators appreciate the time you commit when you come to Tallahassee to meet with them. But building a relationship is not a one time visit; it’s regular contacts in person, by phone and email over the years.”
Our major issues:
• Single use plastics: Change the current state law that prohibits local governments from regulating plastics and allow local governments to make their own decisions.
• Fracking ban: There are two competing bills, one that Sierra supports, that would complete ban fracking; one that Sierra opposes that allows for a giant loophole.
• Amendment 1 money: It’s also called Florida Forever and the Land Conservation Trust Fund. Legislators continually attempt to pay for admittedly good projects, such as septic tank removal, with the trust fund money. Sierra is opposed to that. We want the money to be used only for conservation purposes.
Janet Stanko, the Northeast Sierra group chair, was ill and could not make the trip. But she said she was pleased with the result.
“A big thank you to the Sierrans who went to Tallahassee to advocate for environmental bills with our legislators,” she said.
She noted that lots of lobbying is still needed. If you want to make calls/ write emails to legislators on these and other important bills, contact
Janet Stanko
to join our action alert list. You will receive one email per week during the legislative session which ends in May.
The Tallahassee day started with a media event with our sister organizations in a coalition called “Rethink Florida’s Future.” Janet added, “Laura Bailey and Barbara were the Northeast group guides, shepherding our folks to the legislators’ offices. We got our message across, and will build on it during the rest of session as bills are heard in committee and on the floor.”
