Hello everyone! My name is Lisa Stortstrom, and I have been a teacher for 30 years! The last 10 years of which I have been proudly teaching Florida kids! I am a graduate of Jacksonville University, with a master’s degree in education and I am the third generation of my family to call Florida home. I have fond memories of visiting my grandparents in Barefoot Bay between Vero Beach and Melbourne, riding my bike past orange groves, the smell of the orange blossoms, riding through quaint towns, sitting on docks and dining in old Florida restaurants alongside the Indian River. I would marvel at nature, the clear water and the abundance of life that flourished in and around it.
In 2014, I moved back to Florida permanently, when I followed my mom to Bradenton, Florida along the state’s Gulf Coast. I reveled in the Gulf’s recreational activities. Unbeknownst to me at the time, state deregulations, which happened under supermajority Republican control since 1996, and the governorship since 1999, had allowed our Gulf to endure oil spills, run-off, more than an occasional “accidental sewage spill”, industrial dumping, not only from Lake O, Big Sugar and Big Ag but Big Phosphate. Phosphate mining on the Gulf Coast is big business and has been so since the discovery of it in the 1880s in the Bone Valley region of Florida. It is one of the state’s leading exports. Also, it is one of the main contributors to red tide, if not the main contributor. I never thought about delving into politics until the death tide of 2018, when the dumping of Lake O waters on the Gulf side of the state reached a maximum the likes of which had never been seen before. The Gulf Coast gets on average 90% of the Lake O discharges compared to 10% on the east coast. The dumping of radioactive process water waste from phosphate companies at the time also reached records. In 2016, a resulting sinkhole that poured at least 250 million gallons of phosphate process water into our state Floridan aquifer impacted at least 8 million Floridians’ drinking water. In addition, between 2017 and 2021, the Piney Point gypstack spilled more of the same toxic water into Tampa Bay. It was the perfect storm which led to the perfect death tide of 2018, that was 150 miles long along the Gulf Coast from Tampa to Naples.
Due to the Republican led legalization of pollution, over-development, lack of adequate investment in infrastructure and repeal of the Office Of Growth Management in the past 25+ years, we had the 2018 death tide containing red tide and toxic algae which the Gulf is still recovering from. If you wanted to brave the beach in 2018, you would see every type of living creature dead; not only marine life but birds, gators and mammals. It was apparent that this was not the regular red tide which is only found in salt water. Something was up. A group of us independently tested the waters along the Gulf beaches and found they were radioactive. We also found Lyngbya, a type of algae used by the phosphate industry to bio-remediate their industrial wastewater ponds. Most likely “spills” from that industry were allowed in 2017/2018 leading up the death tide. Once Florida officials deemed the water and air safe again, I ventured out with my Humane Society rescue pup “Lilly” to our favorite doggie beach. I decided to take a swim after 17 months of not being able to go in the Gulf. Big mistake. Brain fog, dizziness, and stomach pains kept me bedridden for days thereafter. Since then, I haven’t swum in the Gulf. Meanwhile, development, dumping of industrial and sewage waste continues.
For that reason, I am moving to the east coast of Florida and running against Toby Overdorf, to work towards clean water. I want to join forces with east coast organizations such as Vote Water, The Waterkeepers, and Friends of the Everglades who work to oppose bad water bills in Tallahassee. We may be on opposite sides of the aisle, but I look forward to working with Brian Mast and other
Republicans to fight for clean water in FSHD 85! This is one topic all Floridians can get behind regardless of party affiliation. Of course, I remain a petition collector for the Florida Right to Clean water!
So, I am first and foremost a teacher and an environmentalist. If we don’t have a good environment to start off with, then our kids can’t get a good education and thrive in the Florida of the future. We adults cannot get our recreational opportunities in the water, either!
My background as a teacher, my long-standing membership as Activist Director of the Florida Democratic Environmental Caucus, Sarasota Chapter, a petitioner for the Florida Right to Clean Water initiative, and a previous FSHD candidate, gives me a great platform to base my candidacy and help the Florida Democratic Environmental Caucus’ aim of putting an environmentalist candidate in every race in our state to turn around Florida’s environment.
The natural and educational environments of Florida are not the only ones that need help.
My platform to gain your vote also includes: the economic environment, the civility environment, the safety environment, and civil rights environment.
Women are now second-class citizens in Florida, the culture wars in our schools are ridiculous. The cost of homes, housing insurance, car insurance, and rents are forcing many Floridians to flee our state, as they simply cannot afford to live here. Guns are everywhere. This is a result of the last 25+ years of one-party rule in the state with only one-party having a supermajority of all our laws, economy, schools, and environmental regulations. We need checks and balances.
Vote for me and I will be your voice in government to clean up Florida’s natural, civil, economic, educational, and safety environment.
Thank you for your time. I look forward to meeting all of you and earning your vote in FSHD 85! Here is my ActBlue contributions link so that you can help my campaign to get started and qualified! Thank you! secure.actblue.com/...