Natural Resources

Natural Resources

Mission

Florida's Natural ResourcesAdvocacy and education in support of expedited, just and effective policies and actions to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change and thereby restore and protect our area’s land, water, and air.

Leadership

Chair: info [at] lwv-alachua.org (Jay Rosenbek)

Ongoing Activities

  • Advocating with City Commission for hiring a Climate Officer and creation of a publicly available dashboard of the City’s goals, actions, and deadlines for reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2045
  • Similar advocacy with Alachua County Commission
  • Advocating for an end to GRU’s natural gas subsidies and extension of gas pipelines
  • Study of University of Florida’s proposed natural gas plant
  • Active monitoring of City and County Commission, Utility Advisory Board, Citizens Climate Action Committee meetings, including joint and subcommittee meetings and advocacy where appropriate
  • Active monitoring of environmental bills introduced into the State of Florida legislative session and advocacy where appropriate
  • Meet with local political leaders and attend League Lobby Days in Tallahassee
  • Advocacy for electrification of transportation

  • Advocacy for GRU to create new revenue streams and end reliance on expanding natural gas use

Recent Successes

Active Collaborations

  • League of Women Voters of Florida (LWVFL) Natural Resources Committee, all NR Committee Chairs statewide participate
  • NR Regional Working Group, a subgroup of especially zealous NR chairs in the state
  • North Central Florida Climate Action Team, a group of local environmental activists
  • NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Committee, a subcommittee of NAACP dedicated to clean air and water and healthy food
  • Suwannee-St. Johns Sierra Club

How You Can Help

  • Join the League of Women Voters of Alachua County
  • Join the Natural Resources Committee and attend our monthly meetings
  • Volunteer to attend local policy meetings and summarize deliberations
  • Be part of our periodic letter-writing campaigns
  • Contribute Letters to the Editor of The Gainesville Sun
  • Show up

Meetings

Meetings are typically held by Zoom on the 4th Wednesday of each month. Check the calendar for specific dates. Contact the info [at] lwv-alachua.org (Committee Chair) for more information
Issues: 
Natural Resources
Environment
Committee Contact
Contact Name: 
Roberta Gastmeyer and Jay Rosenbek
Email: 
info@lwv-alachua.org
League to which this content belongs: 
Alachua County

All Posts Related to this Committee

WYCD Action Alert: Call your legislators re: Clean Energy Tax Credits

Exclamation point inside a red triangle

Submitted by Alachua County in March 2025.

Action Alerts

The current "What You Can Do" (WYCD) action is related to clean energy tax credits. After the Inflation Reduction Act was implemented, the U.S. reported more than $315 billion in clean energy investments in 2024. Now, financial disbursements have been suspended. Solar and wind are the fastest and least expensive sources of energy production. Contact your Legislators with questions and/or to let them know how you feel and why.

Read more

TONIGHT: Attendance needed the GRU Authority meeting (1/15 @ 5:30 p.m.)

Exclamation point inside a red triangle

Submitted by Alachua County in January 2025.

Action Alerts

At tonight's meeting (Jan. 15 @ 5:30 p.m. in the GRU Administration Building, 301 SE 4th Street), the GRU Authority is planning to cancel the solar array that would produce 75MW of power. It is on the consent agenda, intended for administrative-type topics with no discussion. Canceling a solar array is not an administrative-type topic. Show up and take a seat. Community leaders will be speaking and you can "speak" just by being there. Don't let the Authority make bad decisions without an audience. The League of Women Voters will be there. Please join us.

Read more

Support GRU at the Alachua County Legislative Delegation Meeting

Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) Sign brown background with gold logo and brick base with gold letters

Submitted by Alachua County in January 2025.

News

UPDATE as of Jan. 8: At least two local papers ran articles about Rep. Chad Johnson's bill and 960 people sent emails objecting to the bill. The bill has been tabled. For now.

There is another attack on GRU coming. Attend the Legislative Delegation meeting on Jan. 9 at 1 p.m. at Santa Fe College to show your support for GRU. Can't attend in person? Send an email to the delegation. The most important thing we can do is to participate in local government. This is a prime opportunity.

Read more

9.2 GRU Ballot Referendum

Exclamation point inside a red triangle

Submitted by Alachua County in September 2024.

Action Alerts

City of Gainesville residents will see a referendum on the November election ballot that will determine the future control of Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU). In 2023, local control of this municipal utility was removed by the state legislature and given to a governor-appointed Authority. The November referendum will allow Gainesville voters to have a say in whether they prefer to return control to local officials (Yes vote) or if they want control to remain with the governor’s appointees (No vote.) Today, we are asking you to do two things...

Read more

8.29 Florida State Parks are Safe. For now.

Exclamation point inside a red triangle

Submitted by Alachua County in August 2024.

Action Alerts

8.29 UPDATE: Your vocal support for our state parks worked! After eight days of public outrage, Governor DeSantis finally said Wednesday that a controversial proposal by his administration to develop golf courses, pickleball courts and hotels at state parks is “going back to the drawing board.” This backtracking could not have been accomplished without the rapid and overwhelming response from the public, community groups, Florida businesses, and bipartisan unity from state elected officials who opposed these plans. Thank you for your efforts!

On August 20, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) announced the Great Outdoors Initiative, which would subject nine of our precious state parks to development of commercial hotels, golf courses, and sports fields and courts. FDEP planned to collect public comment on these plans for one hour at eight simultaneous meetings just one week later, on August 27. Then late in the day of August 23, FDEP announced that all of the previously scheduled public meetings were being postponed due to “overwhelming interest” in their plan. Don't let gopher tortoise borrows and scrub jay trees be replaced by golf courses and pickleball courts! What can you do to protest...

Read more

8.21 How to get out the vote? NETWORK

Exclamation point inside a red triangle

Submitted by Alachua County in August 2024.

Action Alerts

 

Thanks to each of you for reading and participating in the Action Alerts. With the primary election successfully completed, we have eleven weeks to get out the vote for the general election on November 5.

Read more

5.23 Democracy and home rule won today!

Exclamation point inside a red triangle

Submitted by Alachua County in May 2024.

Action Alerts

Today the city commission voted unanimously to allow the voters to decide on the governance of our local utility, GRU. They voted in favor of an ordinance that will allow a ballot referendum on November 5, 2024, on which voters can choose whether to have our utility governed by governor appointees or by local officials. The League stands firmly on the side of home rule for GRU. The state does not belong in our city charter or governance of our city. League leadership will be devising a public campaign to inform the public about the options and to encourage a “yes” vote on the referendum. Here are the asks for today’s Action Alert...

Read more

5.20 Home Rule for GRU! One success, one more vote, help needed!

Exclamation point inside a red triangle

Submitted by Alachua County in May 2024.

Action Alerts

The first of two required readings of an ordinance to repeal Article 7 in the city charter, which created the GRU Authority, happened at the city commission meeting on May 16 at 1:00pm, in City Hall. All seven commissioners voted in favor of putting a referendum on the general election ballot. Unanimous! The vote required a supermajority, so at least six commissioners had to vote in favor. Getting all seven votes was due to the work of a collaborative group including our league, the Alachua County Labor Coalition, the Sierra Club, unions, the NAACP and GRU customers...

Read more

The Economics of Climate Action Plans

The Economics of CAPs graphic

Submitted by Alachua County in May 2024.

Research & Studies

Climate action plans (CAPs) are robust policy tools that outline the future of a community in the face of climate change. Research and focused case studies of Fort Collins, Colorado and Miami, Florida reveal that taking climate action can contribute to the growth of the green economy, avoid future losses in GDP, and reduce avoidable deaths due to air pollution and extreme heat. The economic costs are personnel and budget for creation and implementation, as well as the cost of shifting industries. By outlining small steps and quantifying savings for each initiative, cities can clear ambiguity and gain support for CAPs.

Read more

5.6 Let the City Commission know you support the GRU referendum

Exclamation point inside a red triangle

Submitted by Alachua County in May 2024.

Action Alerts

Welcome, community! If you did not read the Action Alert from 4/22/24, please read it below. It will give you the background on the public utilities (GRU) referendum that the LWV of Alachua County supports wholeheartedly.

The first of two required readings of the ordinance to repeal Article 7, which created the GRU Authority, will happen at the city commission meeting on May 16 at 1:00pm, in City Hall...

Read more

Pages