By Anthony Aguirre
When people ask me why I chose to run for the state house seat representing District 94, where I’ve lived my entire life, I tell them that my commitment to freedom and the means to enjoy it inspired my decision. I made the call last spring after much deliberation about putting my hat into the political arena. The calling came at the end of a successful afternoon bird hunt with my dad, while driving back to camp through the woods with the love of my life, Kelli, and our yellow lab, Bruce. That golden afternoon reinforced how much Florida’s woods and waters mean to me, as sources of joy, as places to renew bonds with friends and family, and as escapes where we can think clearly about what matters most.
We are fortunate to have so many public outdoor recreation opportunities in and around the district. Here in Palm Beach County, this includes the J.W. Corbett, Holey Land and Rotenberger wildlife management areas, which encompass more than 100,000 acres of publicly accessible Everglades ecosystems. They include the South Florida Water Management District’s Stormwater Treatment Areas, which provide world-class recreational opportunities across 57,000 acres for hunters, anglers and wildlife viewers, in addition to their role in protecting the Everglades. They also include the southern shores of Lake Okeechobee and the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, as well as the John C. and Mariana Jones/Hungryland Wildlife & Environmental Area, plus the upper reaches of the Loxahatchee River, a federally designated Wild & Scenic River.
Indeed, much of the motivation to run revolved around how much Florida’s woods and waters mean to district residents like me and to visitors. I’m know how and am determined to fix many of the “kitchen-table” problems that eat up too much of our household budgets, such as rising food costs, skyrocketing property insurance premiums and unaffordable healthcare, so that we all have more time and money to enjoy living in the free state of Florida. Of course, people may do what they want with their time and money, but given my appreciation for the natural resources here, I’m particularly motivated to ensure that people have enough time and income to get outdoors and enjoy healthy natural areas with ample access.
I also appreciate that hunters, anglers and wildlife enthusiasts fought hard to create these public areas, and to ensure public access to them. We must never take our public lands or access to them for granted. As your state representative, I vow to ensure that these resources will be kept healthy and accessible for generations of outdoor enthusiasts to come.
Take Lake Okeechobee for example. I grew up duck hunting and bass fishing on the Big O, but rarely bother with it anymore because water mismanagement killed the vegetation that provides essential fish habitat and attracts waterfowl. In fact, the lake’s so unhealthy that this year Bassmaster Magazine removed it from their list of top 100 bass fishing destinations. That’s unacceptable. As your state representative, I will work with leadership to maintain dedicated funding that goes toward restoring and maintaining the health of our iconic lake here in the Fishing Capital of the World.
Also, I recently attended a meeting where the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission sought feedback on its next 10-year management plan for the J.W. Corbett area. I listened closely to the public comments and met with sportsmen and women after the event. As your representative, I’ll help resource managers and stakeholders to work through issues productively and successfully.
Nowhere else in the world offers the resources or management systems that allow us such freedom as Florida’s public woods and waters. Yet they are threatened by anti-hunters, and by the simple math that so many people who’ve recently moved here have yet to or are just learning about our precious resources. My opponents, who are against hunting and fishing, couldn’t care less about you or your passion for the outdoors. But I will fight tooth and nail to protect our public recreation areas and our right to access them.
Anthony Aguirre is a Republican running for state representative in District 94, where he has enjoyed South Florida’s great outdoors since early childhood.
