The Everglades Trust announced its endorsement of Congressman and Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds (R-FL) for governor during a press conference in Miami this week.
A non-profit, the Everglades Trust is dedicated to the restoration and protection of the Florida Everglades.
"The Everglades Trust is proud to endorse Byron Donalds for governor because he is the only candidate who can maintain the momentum of Governor DeSantis when it comes to Everglades restoration," Everglades Trust CEO Anna Upton said. "He understands firsthand why Everglades restoration is important because he represents communities affected by harmful discharges from Lake Okeechobee. That water should not be discharged to our coastal estuaries. It needs to be cleaned and sent south to the Everglades and all the way down to Florida Bay as nature intended."
Upton also praised Rep. Donalds' work as a congressman.
"He worked with stakeholders across the state to deliver a fair and balanced Lake Okeechobee regulation schedule that significantly reduces harmful discharges to our coastal estuaries and sends that water south to the Everglades where it needs to go. He supported full funding for Everglades restoration his entire career in public service," Upton said.Â
In addition, Upton complimented Bryan Avila, Rep. Byron Donalds' running mate, for his work. Avila, a former State Senator, was picked as lieutenant governor by Donalds at a press conference in August.
"Senator Brian Avila has been a strong supporter of Everglades restoration. He sponsored the Everglades Protection Area Bill, which passed the Senate unanimously," Upton said. "His dedication to doing what is right and being unrelenting in that pursuit earned him the nickname "the Moose" in the Senate, because nothing gets in his way."
Upton called the Donalds/Avila team a "dream ticket" for the Everglades.
"They know that Florida's economy runs on clean water, and they understand the value of Everglades restoration," Upton said. "For every dollar invested in Everglades restoration, there is a four-dollar return. And the Everglades ecosystem – it is a multi-trillion-dollar asset to our state."
The Everglades is America's most prominent wetland covering approximately 1.5 million acres from Lake Okeechobee to the southern end of the state. Its importance includes providing drinking water to eight million Floridians living in South Florida, as well as serving as a natural habitat for a variety of animals.
Rep. Donalds thanked Upton and the Everglades Trust for its endorsement.
"We want to make sure we are committing to finishing Everglades restoration in my time as governor, because the future of Florida's success is also found in the future of Florida's environment," Donalds said. "We are going to make sure that our environment works for everybody in our state, but it's also going to make sure that the wildlife, the marine life, can continue to be bountiful and plentiful in the state of Florida."
"We want to make sure we look at all of the water bodies in the state of Florida, making sure that they are healthy, everything from our fisheries for commercial and recreational fishing, for the fish that are loving to pop up and swim right here in this beautiful lagoon," Donalds added, referring to a lagoon behind him. "But it's making sure that the beauty of our state continues for another generation."
