What YOU can do, Luncheon on Water Shortages, and more news!
- IRNA
- 2 hours ago
- 6 min read
March 14, 2026 Weekly Newsletter
Have You Ever Thought About Running for Office?
Seriously. We're asking.
2026 is shaping up to be a big election year in Indian River County, and there are more open seats than you might think. County commission. School board. City council. Hospital district. Soil and water. Mosquito control. State legislature. That's a lot of decisions getting made about your community (your water quality, your kids' schools, your tax dollars, your future) by people who decided to show up and run.
You could be one of those people.
We know what you're thinking. I'm not a politician. I don't have the money. I don't have the name recognition. I don't know how any of this works. We hear that. And we'd push back on all of it.
The people currently holding these offices are not a special class of human beings. They're neighbors who decided to run. Some of them won on their first try. Some lost and ran again. Some of them had no idea what they were doing when they started. Sound familiar? Good, because that's where almost everyone begins.
Running for office is hard. We won't sugarcoat it. You'll knock on doors until your knuckles hurt, make phone calls until your ear goes numb, and spend evenings at candidate forums when you'd rather be home. You'll learn things about your community, and about yourself, that you can't learn any other way. And if you win, you'll sit in rooms where real decisions get made: about water quality, about development, about how public money gets spent. Those decisions affect everyone. Including you.
The question isn't whether you're ready. (Nobody ever feels ready.) The question is whether you care enough to try.
Here are the seats on the ballot in Indian River County in 2026:
State Level
State Representative, District 34: Full two-year term. Currently Robbie Brackett (R). One Republican, Paul Sohi, is running against him currently.
(Note: Senate District 29 (Erin Grall) is NOT up for election in 2026.)
County Level:
Local Districts and Municipalities:
Indian River Soil & Water Conservation District: Seat 1.
Vero Beach City Council: 3 seats up in November 2026.
Sebastian City Council: 3 seats up in November 2026.
Fellsmere City Council: 3 seats up in November 2026.
Indian River Shores Town Council: 3 seats up in November 2026.
Orchid Town Council: 3 seats up in November 2026.
As you can see, it's not too late to get involved. Some of the City Council qualifying periods are still months away. (The time to start thinking about it is now!) Other races may be settled at the August Primary.
If any of those offices made you think hmm (even for a second!) that's worth paying attention to. Talk to your friends. Talk to someone who's run before. Talk to us at the IRNA. Look into what the filing process looks like.
The lagoon doesn't advocate for itself. The communities we love don't protect themselves. They need people (people like our members) to step up, show up, and stay in the fight.
So, have you ever thought about running for office?
Maybe it's time to think about it a little harder.
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Where does Florida's water come fromand will there be enough?
It's a question that matters deeply to everyone in Indian River County right now, and we're bringing in one of the state's leading experts to help answer it. On Wednesday, March 25, IRNA hosts its March Lunch & Learn featuring Clay Coarsey, Director of the Division of Water Supply Planning and Assessment with the St. Johns River Water Management District.
The timing couldn't be more urgent. Earlier this month, the St. Johns River Water Management District declared a Phase I Moderate Water Shortage for Duval County and portions of several nearby counties, and the declaration includes authority to expand it if conditions worsen. Indian River County isn't in it yet, but the numbers are sobering: 74% of our county is currently classified as Extreme Drought, our trailing 12-month rainfall is nearly 7 inches below average, groundwater is trending down, and a burn ban has been in effect since February 20th. La Niña conditions persist, and the seasonal forecast points to a drier-than-usual spring and summer.
Clay will walk us through the current state of Florida's water supply and the strategies being developed to protect it for the long term, including what all of this means for private well users, farmers, and the Indian River Lagoon.
The event is at noon at the Vero Beach Country Club (800 30th St), with lunch options including Beef Bourguignon, Chicken Marsala, or a Vegetarian entrée for $30 per person. Bring your questions.
Florida conservation funding lags as land prices surge (TCPalm) - In this opinion piece, Dean Saunders asserts that Florida must increase its conservation funding to at least $1 billion annually to keep pace with soaring land values and prevent the permanent loss of natural and agricultural lands to rapid development.
Florida cold snap blamed for increase in manatee deaths (WESH) - Unprecedented cold temperatures in Florida have triggered a surge in manatee deaths due to cold stress and hypothermia, though recovering seagrass levels and lower casualty rates in the previous year provide some hope for the population's long-term resilience.
Hale Groves sale: New eco-legacy for famed citrus site (Vero News) - Indian River County has acquired the historic 22-acre Hale Groves citrus property for $2.54 million to create a public conservation area and salt marsh restoration project that will preserve the family legacy while protecting the Indian River Lagoon from dense residential development.
Florida wildlife officials urge beachgoers to protect nesting birds as season begins (Sebastian Daily) - Florida wildlife officials are calling on coastal visitors to protect nesting shorebirds and seabirds by maintaining a 300-foot distance from nests, securing trash to deter predators, and keeping pets away from sensitive breeding habitats.
Vero Beach Regional Airport faces passenger, parking growing pains (TCPalm) - In this opinion piece, Laurence Reisman highlights how Vero Beach Regional Airport is struggling with overcrowding and limited parking as both Breeze and JetBlue operations strain the capacity of its single-gate terminal.
PFAS Testing Initiative for Private Wells in Indian River County is a community science initiative led by IRNA to better understand the presence of PFAS (also known as “forever chemicals”) in private drinking water wells in Indian River County. PFAS are a group of human-made chemicals that do not easily break down in the environment and may pose health risks with long-term exposure.
We need YOUR well water sample! By signing up, you’ll have the opportunity to:
Learn what PFAS are and why they matter
Submit a private well water sample for free testing by a certified laboratory
Receive your results directly, along with information about what they mean
Contribute to a better understanding of PFAS in private wells across the county
Together, we can help identify whether PFAS are present in local groundwater and support efforts to protect our community’s drinking water. Learn more about the project and how YOU can submit a water sample by registering for an upcoming webinar on either March 25th or April 7th at 6pm.
Please Note: This program is currently open only to home or business owners in Indian River County who use a private well for drinking water and are not connected to municipal utilities. If you have questions about eligibility, please contact Missy@IndianRiverNA.com
No challengers = no change (VoteWater.org) - Another aspect of what we talked about at the top... In this opinion piece, Gil Smart argues that the lack of challengers for many Florida legislative incumbents prevents voters from holding "dirty-water" candidates accountable and maintains a status quo that favors polluting special interests.
Dune repair work will close beach access points in March (Vero News) - Ongoing emergency dune restoration in Central Beach will cause periodic closures of key access points and parking restrictions throughout March as contractors work to complete sand placement and native planting before peak sea turtle nesting and hurricane season.
Expert details how sargassum infestation poses potential threat to island ecosystems (Vero News) - Increased land-based nutrient pollution from agriculture and wastewater has fueled the unprecedented expansion of the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt, creating massive seaweed blooms that threaten Florida’s coastal ecosystems, tourism, and public health through toxic decomposition gases.
Landowner behind 'Blue Ribbon Projects' bill gave $300K to Florida leaders before session began, records show (Jason Garcia Substack) - In this opinion piece, Jason Garcia details how a New York investment manager funneled nearly $300,000 to influential Florida politicians to advance legislation that would significantly limit local government oversight of large-scale rural developments.
Water as a Weapon: Preparing for Threats to Our Drinking Water in Conflict (Off Grid Survival) - Modern water infrastructure faces a dual threat from long-standing systemic vulnerabilities like lead and "forever chemicals" and the increasing use of water as a strategic weapon through physical sabotage, cyberattacks, and potential sleeper cell activity during global conflicts.
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