Sanibel Mayor Mick Denham Appointed as Voting Delegate to the 2008 Water Congress

The “2008 Water Congress: Planning for Florida’s Water Future,” will be hosted by the Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida. The Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida was established by the Florida Legislature in 2005. It is comprised of 15 members, with 5 each appointed by the Governor, the Speaker of the Florida House and the President of the Florida Senate. The Governor appoints the Chair.

The 2008 Water Congress is comprised of 120 voting delegates. The delegates will formulate an action plan and policy recommendations for Florida’s water needs over the next 50 years with the objective of developing a comprehensive set of specific sustainable water use and supply action steps. The Commission specifically asks each Water Congress delegate to provide multiple “water ideas” relating to:

• Conservation
• Re-use
• Supply (groundwater, desalination/reverse osmosis, and surface water)
• Administration (local, regional, inter-regional, statewide and interstate)

By law, the Century Commission must annually envision the future for the state, continually consider laws and regulations and make recommendations as to how we can best accommodate population growth while maintaining our "quality of life," serve as a repository for our best "community-building" ideas and as a resource for all Floridians, and beginning in 2007, provide a written report to the Legislature and Governor addressing specific growth management issues.

Mayor Denham stated, “This appointment provides a splendid opportunity for the City of Sanibel and Southwest Florida to be heard as our State debates the future of our most precious and threatened natural resource – water.”