The League of Women Voters of Lee County (LWVLee), Florida Right to Clean Water, and the SWFL RESET Center invite members and the public for an action-oriented discussion of Fundamental Rights and Citizen Initiatives--A Right to Clean Water, May 3rd, 2025, 9-11am, in person at the Collaboratory, 2031 Jackson Street, Fort Myers and virtually via Zoom.  (A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants.)

Because Florida’s waters are badly polluted, FloridaRightToCleanWater.org has launched a citizen initiative to amend the Florida Constitution with a fundamental right to clean and healthy waters for all Floridians. Proposed new laws may cripple the citizen initiative process.

Fundamental Rights and Citizen Initiativeswill focus on the proposed right to clean water amendment and the threat these new laws pose to citizen initiatives and Floridians’ First Amendment Rights. 

Panelists:  

• Joseph Bonasia, Chair, Florida Rights of Nature Network and SWFL Regional Director, FloridaRightToCleanWater.org.  Original organizing member of ProtectOurWetlandsinCapeCoral.org and for several years served as Citizen Climate Lobby’s volunteer legislative liaison to Senator Rick Scott’s office. He writes about constitutional environmental rights and climate change. See some of his articles at The Invading Sea.
• Abdelilah Skhir, policy strategist, ACLU of Florida will address impacts of new Florida legislation on citizen initiatives and paths forward to address clean water and first amendment rights. He is responsible for analyzing and developing state and local policies and supporting an impactful, non-partisan policy advocacy program. As the son of immigrants, he brings first-hand knowledge of the direct impacts our voting laws and policies have on immigrant families and communities.