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Our Waters, Our Vote: Southwest Florida Water Summit 2026
The 2026 Water Summit is designed to raise awareness, encourage civic participation, and bring together organizations and individuals committed to protecting clean water and healthy watersheds.
A free, public, non-partisan event, the summit will take place on Saturday, Sept. 19, from 2 to 4 p.m. The event will be held in a hybrid format, both virtually and in person at The Collaboratory.
The summit will provide participants with tools and resources for informed voting, along with motivation and strategies to fight for clean water.
These speakers will lead this vital conversation and call for action:
Gil Smart: Executive Director of VoteWater and a long-time investigative reporter and newspaper columnist in his native Pennsylvania and on Florida’s Treasure Coast.
Royal C. Gardner: Law Professor and Director of the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy at Stetson University, and author of Waters of the United States, POTUS, SCOTUS, WOTUS and the Politics of a National Resource.
Matt DePaolis: SCCF’s Environmental Policy Director brings his combined expertise in environmental law and marine biology to translate SCCF’s cutting-edge science into effective policy through advocacy.
Panelists will increase participants’ understanding of regulatory changes that have occurred following the Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett v EPA. Experts estimate that over half of our wetlands and numerous seasonal streams have lost or will lose federal safeguards.
The Summit will issue a clear call to action. Protecting our waters depends on an informed public that makes its voice heard, engaged leaders who seek office, and elected officials who value scientific integrity and are committed to protecting our waters.
The Water Summit seeks to unify environmental groups, community organizations, and local authorities to translate advocacy into action and collaborate on protecting and restoring our watersheds.
Attend in person at the Collaboratory, 2031 Jackson St., Fort Myers 33901, or virtually via Zoom. Registration is required. The League of Women Voters of Lee County, Inc. (LWVLee) and The Sierra Club Calusa Group are sponsoring the summit.