Update 2026-08-17: Florida Governor Candidates: Clean Water Questionnaire –WWALS 2026-08-17.

Here’s what some of those running for U.S. Congress from Florida District 3 have to say about clean water: Troy Albers and Seth Harp.

Kat Cammack (the incumbent), Georgia Hubac, Mike Klein, and Tom Wells did not respond.

FL-03 covers Hamilton, Columbia, Baker, Union, Bradford, Alachua, Gilchrist, Suwannee, (most of ) Lafayette, Dixie, Levy, Counties, and part of Marion County. That’s almost all of the Suwannee River Basin in Florida, except not Madison County.

Florida U.S. House District 3, Political Candidate Clean Water Questionnaire –WWALS 2026-08-17

WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS) is conducting a Political Candidate Clean Water Questionnaire: #WWALSCleanWaterQuestionnaire

We already reported responses from statehouse District 9 and District 10.

In FL-03 also WFNF is not popular, WMDs in their current form are problematical, hyper-scale AI datacenters are looked upon ascance, and these candidates support RTCW. For these candidates’ answers to those and other questions, see below.

For much more about Water First North Florida (WFNF), see:

https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf

If you are a candidate for state or national office in Florida this year, in the Suwannee River Basin, we sent you a questionnaire. If you didn’t get it, please let us know.

https://wwals.net/donations/contact/

Primary Election Day is tomorrow, Tuesday, August 18.

Our source for who is running is the Florida Department of State Candidate Tracking System.

https://dos.elections.myflorida.com/candidates/Index.asp

As an IRS 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit, WWALS cannot support or oppose any specific candidate for office. But we can ask all candidates in a race what they think, and publish the results.

WWALS Political Candidate Clean Water Questionnaire

U.S. Congress FL-03

Side by Side
Each Candidate
- Troy Albers, Democratic
- Seth Harp, Democratic
The Questions: WWALS Political Candidate Clean Water Questionnaire

U.S. Congress FL-03 by question (Side by Side)

Do you oppose Water First North Florida (WFNF), the plan to pipe treated wastewater from Jacksonville into the Suwannee River Basin?

Troy Albers: Yes
Seth Harp: Yes
Do you support a ban on transfers of water from one river basin to another?

Troy Albers: Yes
Seth Harp: Yes
Do you support seawater desalination for drinking water and to reduce groundwater withdrawals?

Troy Albers: Yes
Seth Harp: I will work for state support for seawater desalination
Do you support potable reuse for drinking water and to reduce groundwater withdrawals?

Troy Albers: Yes
Seth Harp: I will work for state support for potable reuse
Do you support efforts to recharge the Floridan Aquifer, springs, and rivers that do not require massive engineering?

Troy Albers: Yes
Seth Harp: I will work to clear legal hurdles for safe, clean forestry wetland well recharge
Do you support a water budget for north Florida, requiring water withdrawal permits to be limited or reduced when exceeded?

Troy Albers: Yes
Seth Harp: I will work for state support for a water budget.
What will you do to reform the Water Management Districts (WMDs)?

Troy Albers: I will work to require half of each WMD’s board to be from scientific or environmental backgrounds.
Seth Harp: I will work to require all WMD board positions to be filled.
Will you work to require hyper-scale datacenters

Troy Albers: I will work for a ban on hyper-scale datacenters
Seth Harp: I will work for a moratorium on hyper-scale datacenters
Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs)

Troy Albers: I will work to modify BMAPs so they actually reduce nitrates and other contaminants leaching into rivers and streams
Seth Harp: I will work to modify BMAPs so they actually reduce nitrates and other contaminants leaching into rivers and streams
What is your position on the rampant growth of population in Florida and its effect on our natural resources?

Troy Albers: The population is overloading our natural freshwater system. Desalination is the only way to support the increase in population.
Seth Harp: Our rapid growth demands smarter planning, not endless sprawl. We should prioritize redevelopment over paving over more of our natural landscape by offering tax incentives to transform abandoned buildings, vacant shopping centers, and underused concrete sites into housing and commercial space. Building within our existing footprint reduces pressure on our springs, wetlands, forests, and farmland while making better use of roads, utilities, and other infrastructure taxpayers have already paid for. Responsible growth means revitalizing the communities we have before expanding into the natural resources we can’t replace.
What solutions do you offer to protect our springs from over-pumping and pollution from various sources?

Troy Albers: Increase in funding for the EPA.
Seth Harp: OurYr springs are not renewable if we keep draining and polluting them. I will fight to end unsustainable over-pumping by putting science, not politics or special interests, at the center of water policy. We must crack down on pollution from failing infrastructure, runoff & other major sources while protecting the lands that recharge our aquifer. Clean water isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity for our families, farmers, businesses & future generations. Florida’s springs are worth protecting, and I won’t compromise when it comes to defending them.
Do you support a Right to Clean Water in the Florida Constitution Article I?

Troy Albers: Yes
Seth Harp: Yes
Do you support repealing HB 1205 of 2025, which greatly complicates citizens petitions for amendments to the state constitution?

Troy Albers: Yes
Seth Harp: Yes
Concurrent with safe sleep awareness efforts to reduce infant mortality via SIDS, will you ensure rural health departments have resources to facilitate and communities have access to drinking water testing and education? If not, how else will you address the maternal and prenatal rural drinking water crisis?

Troy Albers: Yes. Water testing results should be available on a government website.
Seth Harp: Yes.
How will rural communities and small cities adapt to potential changes in tax structures? What strategies do you propose they implement? What about funding for public parks, 4H/youth programs, and agricultural extension?

Troy Albers: There is only one real option and that is a special assessment to fund these programs.
Seth Harp:
Will you ensure free speech and first amendment rights are upheld by opposing agricultural muzzle clauses?

Troy Albers: Yes
Seth Harp: Yes
If you aren’t monitoring, you aren’t managing. How can water quality and supply monitoring efforts be improved and better coordinated?

Troy Albers: There needs to be a published schedule of when testing is to be done. Then the water sample collection should be taped and released online. Last the results of water testing should be posted online.
Seth Harp: Good policy starts with good science & good science starts with consistent testing. We need more frequent, standardized testing of our springs, rivers, aquifers & drinking water, with results shared through a single statewide monitoring system. State agencies, water management districts, local governments, and researchers should work from the same real-time data so problems are identified early and addressed quickly.
Will you support the State of Florida water quality testing all rivers?

Troy Albers: Yes
Seth Harp: Yes
Would you support a pesticide liability shield?

Troy Albers: No
Seth Harp: Yes
What are your primary concerns regarding water?

Troy Albers: Water is the key to life. WE must protect this resources or our entire planet will suffer.
Seth Harp: My greatest concern is that we are using water faster than nature can replace it. Over-pumping and pollution threaten our aquifer, springs, rivers & drinking water supply. We need science based water management, stronger protections for recharge areas & smarter growth that prioritizes redevelopment over sprawl.
Do you support the state preemptions of local government via restrictions of municipal action, codes, or ordinances?

Troy Albers: No
Seth Harp: No
Which state preemptions of local governments do you support, if any?

Troy Albers: None
Seth Harp:

U.S. Congress FL-03 by candidate

Troy Albers, Democratic
Seth Harp, Democratic

Troy Albers, Democratic, No, District

Do you oppose Water First North Florida (WFNF), the plan to pipe treated wastewater from Jacksonville into the Suwannee River Basin?
Yes
Do you support a ban on transfers of water from one river basin to another?
Yes
Do you support seawater desalination for drinking water and to reduce groundwater withdrawals?
Yes
Do you support potable reuse for drinking water and to reduce groundwater withdrawals?
Yes
Do you support efforts to recharge the Floridan Aquifer, springs, and rivers that do not require massive engineering?
Yes
Do you support a water budget for north Florida, requiring water withdrawal permits to be limited or reduced when exceeded?
Yes
What will you do to reform the Water Management Districts (WMDs)?
I will work to require half of each WMD’s board to be from scientific or environmental backgrounds.
Will you work to require hyper-scale datacenters
I will work for a ban on hyper-scale datacenters
Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs)
I will work to modify BMAPs so they actually reduce nitrates and other contaminants leaching into rivers and streams
What is your position on the rampant growth of population in Florida and its effect on our natural resources?
The population is overloading our natural freshwater system. Desalination is the only way to support the increase in population.
What solutions do you offer to protect our springs from over-pumping and pollution from various sources?
Increase in funding for the EPA.
Do you support a Right to Clean Water in the Florida Constitution Article I?
Yes
Do you support repealing HB 1205 of 2025, which greatly complicates citizens petitions for amendments to the state constitution?
Yes
Concurrent with safe sleep awareness efforts to reduce infant mortality via SIDS, will you ensure rural health departments have resources to facilitate and communities have access to drinking water testing and education? If not, how else will you address the maternal and prenatal rural drinking water crisis?
Yes. Water testing results should be available on a government website.
How will rural communities and small cities adapt to potential changes in tax structures? What strategies do you propose they implement? What about funding for public parks, 4H/youth programs, and agricultural extension?
There is only one real option and that is a special assessment to fund these programs.
Will you ensure free speech and first amendment rights are upheld by opposing agricultural muzzle clauses?
Yes
If you aren’t monitoring, you aren’t managing. How can water quality and supply monitoring efforts be improved and better coordinated?
There needs to be a published schedule of when testing is to be done. Then the water sample collection should be taped and released online. Last the results of water testing should be posted online.
Will you support the State of Florida water quality testing all rivers?
Yes
Would you support a pesticide liability shield?
No
What are your primary concerns regarding water?
Water is the key to life. WE must protect this resources or our entire planet will suffer.
Do you support the state preemptions of local government via restrictions of municipal action, codes, or ordinances?
No
Which state preemptions of local governments do you support, if any?
None

Seth Harp, Democratic, No, District

Do you oppose Water First North Florida (WFNF), the plan to pipe treated wastewater from Jacksonville into the Suwannee River Basin?
Yes
Do you support a ban on transfers of water from one river basin to another?
Yes
Do you support seawater desalination for drinking water and to reduce groundwater withdrawals?
I will work for state support for seawater desalination
Do you support potable reuse for drinking water and to reduce groundwater withdrawals?
I will work for state support for potable reuse
Do you support efforts to recharge the Floridan Aquifer, springs, and rivers that do not require massive engineering?
I will work to clear legal hurdles for safe, clean forestry wetland well recharge
Do you support a water budget for north Florida, requiring water withdrawal permits to be limited or reduced when exceeded?
I will work for state support for a water budget.
What will you do to reform the Water Management Districts (WMDs)?
I will work to require all WMD board positions to be filled.
Will you work to require hyper-scale datacenters
I will work for a moratorium on hyper-scale datacenters
Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs)
I will work to modify BMAPs so they actually reduce nitrates and other contaminants leaching into rivers and streams
What is your position on the rampant growth of population in Florida and its effect on our natural resources?
Our rapid growth demands smarter planning, not endless sprawl. We should prioritize redevelopment over paving over more of our natural landscape by offering tax incentives to transform abandoned buildings, vacant shopping centers, and underused concrete sites into housing and commercial space. Building within our existing footprint reduces pressure on our springs, wetlands, forests, and farmland while making better use of roads, utilities, and other infrastructure taxpayers have already paid for. Responsible growth means revitalizing the communities we have before expanding into the natural resources we can’t replace.
What solutions do you offer to protect our springs from over-pumping and pollution from various sources?
OurYr springs are not renewable if we keep draining and polluting them. I will fight to end unsustainable over-pumping by putting science, not politics or special interests, at the center of water policy. We must crack down on pollution from failing infrastructure, runoff & other major sources while protecting the lands that recharge our aquifer. Clean water isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity for our families, farmers, businesses & future generations. Florida’s springs are worth protecting, and I won’t compromise when it comes to defending them.
Do you support a Right to Clean Water in the Florida Constitution Article I?
Yes
Do you support repealing HB 1205 of 2025, which greatly complicates citizens petitions for amendments to the state constitution?
Yes
Concurrent with safe sleep awareness efforts to reduce infant mortality via SIDS, will you ensure rural health departments have resources to facilitate and communities have access to drinking water testing and education? If not, how else will you address the maternal and prenatal rural drinking water crisis?
Yes.
How will rural communities and small cities adapt to potential changes in tax structures? What strategies do you propose they implement? What about funding for public parks, 4H/youth programs, and agricultural extension?
Will you ensure free speech and first amendment rights are upheld by opposing agricultural muzzle clauses?
Yes
If you aren’t monitoring, you aren’t managing. How can water quality and supply monitoring efforts be improved and better coordinated?
Good policy starts with good science & good science starts with consistent testing. We need more frequent, standardized testing of our springs, rivers, aquifers & drinking water, with results shared through a single statewide monitoring system. State agencies, water management districts, local governments, and researchers should work from the same real-time data so problems are identified early and addressed quickly.
Will you support the State of Florida water quality testing all rivers?
Yes
Would you support a pesticide liability shield?
Yes
What are your primary concerns regarding water?
My greatest concern is that we are using water faster than nature can replace it. Over-pumping and pollution threaten our aquifer, springs, rivers & drinking water supply. We need science based water management, stronger protections for recharge areas & smarter growth that prioritizes redevelopment over sprawl.
Do you support the state preemptions of local government via restrictions of municipal action, codes, or ordinances?
No
Which state preemptions of local governments do you support, if any?

Alapaha River Rise, 2022-02-05, 14:19:24, –jsq for WWALS 30.4388490, -83.0895792

The Questions: WWALS Political Candidate Clean Water Questionnaire

Here you can see what the choices were.

Do you oppose Water First North Florida (WFNF), the plan to pipe treated wastewater from Jacksonville into the Suwannee River Basin?
- Yes
- I will propose a moratorium
- I will work to cancel the project
- No, I support WFNF
- Other
Do you support a ban on transfers of water from one river basin to another?
- Yes
- I will work for a legal ban
- No
- Other
Do you support seawater desalination for drinking water and to reduce groundwater withdrawals?
- Yes
- I will work for state support for seawater desalination
- No
- Other
Do you support potable reuse for drinking water and to reduce groundwater withdrawals?
- Yes
- I will work for state support for potable reuse
- No
- Other
Do you support efforts to recharge the Floridan Aquifer, springs, and rivers that do not require massive engineering?
- Yes
- I support forestry wetland well recharge
- I will work to clear legal hurdles for safe, clean forestry wetland well recharge
- No
- Other
Do you support a water budget for north Florida, requiring water withdrawal permits to be limited or reduced when exceeded?
- Yes
- I will work for state support for a water budget.
- No
- Other
What will you do to reform the Water Management Districts (WMDs)?
- I will work to make WMD boards elected.
- I will work to create a WMD board member recall mechanism.
- I will work to require all WMD board positions to be filled.
- I will work to require half of each WMD’s board to be from scientific or environmental backgrounds.
- Other
Will you work to require hyper-scale datacenters
- To use closed-loop cooling
- Not to discharge untreated wastewater into waterways or groundwater
- To provide their power through renewable energy instead of from new fossil fuel power plants (which require massive cooling water)
- I will work for a moratorium on hyper-scale datacenters
- I will work for a ban on hyper-scale datacenters
- I support hyper-scale datacenters with none of the above requirements
- Other
Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs)
- I will work to modify BMAPs so they actually reduce nitrates and other contaminants leaching into rivers and streams
- I will work to require and fund the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to enforce existing contamination laws
- Other
What is your position on the rampant growth of population in Florida and its effect on our natural resources?
[Long answer text]
What solutions do you offer to protect our springs from over-pumping and pollution from various sources?
[Long answer text]
Do you support a Right to Clean Water in the Florida Constitution Article I?
- Yes
- If elected to the legislature, will you introduce a bill for Right to Clean Water in the Florida Constitution Article I?
- If elected to the legislature, will you support a bill for Right to Clean Water in the Florida Constitution Article I?
- Should a Right to Clean Water also include Right to Clean Air and Soil?
- No
- Other
Do you support repealing HB 1205 of 2025, which greatly complicates citizens petitions for amendments to the state constitution?
- Yes
- If elected to the legislature, will you introduce a bill to repeal HB 1205?
- If elected to the legislature, will you support a bill to repeal HB 1205?
- No
- Other
Concurrent with safe sleep awareness efforts to reduce infant mortality via SIDS, will you ensure rural health departments have resources to facilitate and communities have access to drinking water testing and education? If not, how else will you address the maternal and prenatal rural drinking water crisis?
[Long answer text]
How will rural communities and small cities adapt to potential changes in tax structures? What strategies do you propose they implement? What about funding for public parks, 4H/youth programs, and agricultural extension?
[Long answer text]
Will you ensure free speech and first amendment rights are upheld by opposing agricultural muzzle clauses?
- Yes
- No
If you aren’t monitoring, you aren’t managing. How can water quality and supply monitoring efforts be improved and better coordinated?
[Long answer text]
Will you support the State of Florida water quality testing all rivers?
- Yes
- I will work for testing all rivers frequently and at closely-spaced sites.
- I will work to require and fund the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to testing all rivers frequently and at closely-spaced sites.
- No
- Other
Would you support a pesticide liability shield?
- Yes
- No
What are your primary concerns regarding water?
[Long answer text]
Do you support the state preemptions of local government via restrictions of municipal action, codes, or ordinances?
- Yes
- No
Which state preemptions of local governments do you support, if any?
[Long answer text]

-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

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Florida U.S. House District 3: Political Candidate Clean Water Questionnaire –WWALS 2026-08-17