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"Rights of Nature" Proposed for Florida Constitution

WGCU | By Valerie Vande Panne
Published June 3, 2021 at 4:55 PM EDT
Will nature--and Florida's waterways--have legally enforceable rights?
Crystal River / Courtesy FWC Flickr
Will nature--and Florida's waterways--have legally enforceable rights?

Florida environmental leaders have started gathering signatures to qualify a state constitutional amendment that would recognize legal rights of waterways in the state.

The amendment will recognize as legally enforceable the rights of all waterways across Florida to “exist, flow, be free from pollution , and maintain a healthy ecosystem.” The amendment also provides that any Floridian or Florida organization is allowed to file a legal action on behalf of those waterways. It will also recognize that every Floridian has a legal right to clean water. Nearly 900,000 signatures over the next eight months will need to be collected in order to qualify the amendment for the ballot.

Learn more at WWW.FL5.ORG.
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Valerie Vande Panne
Vvandepanne@wgcu.org
See stories by Valerie Vande Panne
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