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Soil and Water Conservation District, Seat 1
Orange County’s Soil and Water Conservation District was created by Florida statute. It’s tasked with developing and carrying out conservation and education programs, and providing assistance to landowners to help conserve and protect natural resources.
The district has no budget. Its five members get no paycheck.
The News Collaborative of Central Florida created a list of common questions to ask the candidates. Questionnaires were sent to all candidates.
Not all of the candidates responded. Where candidates did not respond, we have filled out the information to the best of our abilities.
Our partners at Vox Populi compiled the candidate responses for the soil and water conservation district race, emailing and calling the candidates over several weeks.
You can see the full Vox Populi voting guide HERE.
Quinnie Perez
WEBSITE: quinnieforsoilandwater.com/
What are your top three most pressing issues in this race?
1. Support our farmworkers. As the daughter of Mexican farmworkers, I will fight for fair wages, safe conditions, and stable housing for the essential laborers who feed us.
2. Protect our water and build flood resilience. Climate change and rapid growth threaten our water supply, so I will push for green infrastructure and wetland restoration to prevent neighborhood flooding.
3. Champion sustainable development and education. We need to curb unchecked urban sprawl while bringing vital conservation education directly into our public schools.
I look forward to working with the state and county officials to advocate for these projects through legislative efforts, many of whom support my campaign.
Why do you deserve to be elected?
I believe I deserve to be elected because I bring lived agricultural experience and a proven track record of community organizing directly to the Orange County Soil and Water Conservation District.
As the daughter of Mexican farmworkers and a professional in the agricultural sector, I understand the realities of land labor and resource management from the ground up. I am not just talking about conservation; I have lived it. My background allows me to bridge the gap between our essential agricultural workforce and local environmental policy.
Orange County is facing rapid population growth, skyrocketing flood insurance premiums, and severe threats to our water supply. I am uniquely equipped to address these challenges by championing green infrastructure, fighting for farmworker protections, and pushing for sustainable urban development. I will be a proactive, community-focused supervisor who ensures our natural resources are protected for future generations.
According to a University of North Florida poll, Floridians say affordability is their top issue. What are your solutions for dealing with Florida’s affordability issue?
To tackle the affordability crisis, my solutions focus on two key areas:
The rising costs of housing and energy are being driven up by pollution and climate-fueled disasters. By investing heavily in green infrastructure, upgraded wastewater plants, and natural wetland restoration, we can actively prevent the neighborhood flooding that is driving skyrocketing flood insurance premiums out of reach for working families.
We must stop unchecked urban sprawl and work closely with local governments to advocate for smart, sustainable development. This means championing energy-efficient, eco-conscious housing models and expanded transportation options that reduce utility and commuting costs for residents, while preserving the green spaces that naturally protect our communities.
Will you vote YES or NO on the constitutional amendment to slash property taxes? Please explain your position. How would you replace lost revenue? New fees, increased taxes and/or service reductions?
I will vote No because slashing property taxes threatens the very infrastructure that keeps our communities safe and affordable.
While I completely understand that Florida families are desperately searching for immediate financial relief, this amendment acts as a short-term fix that creates massive, long-term costs. Property taxes directly fund our local municipalities. When we slash that revenue, we gut the budgets needed for vital green infrastructure, stormwater management, and wetland restoration.
In Orange County, failing to fund these systems means more neighborhood flooding, which will only drive our skyrocketing home and flood insurance premiums even higher. True affordability means investing in community resilience, not stripping away the resources that protect our homes and environment.
Utility costs are rising for customers in Florida, and the proliferation of data centers is expected to exacerbate that issue. How should Florida’s utility regulators respond?
As your Soil and Water Conservation Supervisor, my priority is ensuring our local families have access to clean, affordable resources–not letting giant tech companies drain our future.
Data centers don’t just gulp electricity; they consume millions of gallons of water every day just to keep their computers cool. In Orange County, our water supply is already under immense pressure from rapid growth and climate change. When tech corporations over-pump our aquifers, it threatens our drinking water and forces everyday neighbors to pay the price through rising utility bills.
Florida’s regulators must put our community first. We need to mandate that these data centers use closed-loop, water-free cooling systems and pay their fair share for infrastructure. We cannot allow corporate profits to dry up the precious water resources that our families, our local farmers, and our environment depend on to survive.
What do you think is the biggest environmental issue your district should address in Florida?
As your Soil and Water Supervisor, I will work to shift our county and state from reactive fixes to proactive resilience. We must aggressively dredge and restore our stormwater retention lakes, clear blocked neighborhood drainage systems before major storms hit, and stabilize our shorelines using native, deep-rooted vegetation. Protecting communities like Hunter’s Creek means treating water management as an ongoing investment to keep our streets clear, our homes safe, and our insurance costs down.
Vicente Rafael Perez Carreno
WEBSITE: vicenterafaelperez.com/
What are the three most urgent issues that you would like to deal with and how do you propose to solve them?
1. Water Conservation and Protection of Water Quality
Orange County is facing growing pressure due to continuing growth on its water resources. My intention is to promote public education in respect to proper irrigation, water conservation, stormwater protection and best practices.
2. Flooding and Stormwater Issues
There are many people experiencing the issues related to flooding, growth, weather pattern changes and stormwater management. My position is to promote public education in the area of flood preparedness, flood maps, stormwater systems, hurricane preparedness and proper yard practices.
3. Public Education and Community Outreach
Many people do not know what exactly does Soil and Water Conservation District do. My goal is to increase visibility, transparency and accessibility of the District and to increase public knowledge about its work.
Why do you deserve to be elected to this office?
Currently, I serve as an Associate Supervisor and Treasurer of Orange Soil and Water Conservation District. I have experience in conservation, public education, outreach and environmental initiatives as a result of my professional career as a lawyer and community advocate.
I am running for this office because I believe that conservation must be practical and community-oriented. My aim is to connect residents, schools, business and organizations with practical conservation efforts.
Will you vote yes or no on the constitutional amendment to slash property taxes? Explain your position and tell how would you replace the lost revenues — through fees or services cuts?
Right now, I need to study the details of the final wording, financial impact analysis and other relevant materials before making the final decision. The voters should understand completely the effects of the possible tax reduction on local governments, public services, infrastructure, environment, public safety and schools.
Being a candidate for the conservation district, I believe that it is very important to maintain fiscal responsibility by balancing the taxpayers’ relief and maintaining necessary public services. Significant reduction in the revenues of local governments should be accompanied by a realistic replacement of this money.
The utility costs are going up for the customers in Florida and the data centers are supposed to cause even more issues. What should be done by Florida’s utility regulators in regard to it?
Transparency, planning ahead and consumer protection are among the priorities of Florida’s utility regulators. In the conditions of growing demands on electricity, they should carefully analyze the projects of infrastructure upgrades, promote energy efficiency and grid modernization.
The consumers deserve full and complete information in regards to the planned rates increases and reasons behind them. Regulators’ decisions should find the balance between economic development, environmental protection, reliability and cost of utilities.
What is the biggest environmental problem that the government should deal with in Florida?
Protecting water resources is the key environmental challenge in Florida.
The economic security, public health, agricultural, tourism, etc. interests in Florida depend heavily on water resources. The growing population, development threats, stormwater run-off, nutrients contamination, flooding, etc. require the attention of local, state and regional stakeholders.
Florida should keep on investing into water conservation, watershed protection, stormwater management, environmental education, wetlands preservation and scientific resource management. Protecting water resources nowadays will help to secure the future of coming generations.
Doug Sahr
WEBSITE: votedougsahr.com/
What are the top three most pressing problems you want to address, and how would you solve them?
#1 — Unchecked stormwater impact from rapid development. Orange County is growing faster than our drainage infrastructure can handle. I’d push for the Soil and Water Conservation District to take an active advisory role in the County’s Stormwater Utility rollout and Basin Master Plan process — holding new development to updated flood data and modern green infrastructure standards (rain gardens, permeable pavement, bioretention).
#2 — Declining water quality in our lakes and waterways. Runoff from construction and development is one of the biggest threats to water quality in Orange County. I’d advocate for stronger erosion control enforcement during construction and closer coordination with the St. Johns River Water Management District to protect our lakes before damage occurs.
#3 — Loss of agricultural land and conservation knowledge. Orange County’s agricultural heritage such as small farms, nurseries, and family growers disappears as development accelerates. I’d use the district’s connection to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to make sure remaining agricultural landowners have real access to conservation planning resources and technical assistance, so the choice to keep land in agricultural use is actually viable.
Why do you deserve to be elected to this office?
I’m running because I feel called to serve and give a voice to the community I’m rooted in. I’m a native of rural West Orange County and have spent years serving our community… Second Harvest Food Bank, Matthew’s Hope Ministries, Eight Waves, West Orange Chamber of Commerce Ambassador, board member for of Bethany Christian Services. That combination, a real connection to the land this district protects, and a track record of showing up for this community, is exactly what this seat deserves.
Will you vote yes or no on the constitutional amendment to slash property taxes? Explain your position and how you would replace lost revenue — fees or cutting services?
This falls outside the scope of the Soil and Water Conservation District’s authority. The district has no role in state tax policy, and I don’t believe it’s my place to speak on the subject. Voters should research this amendment and vote, however, best serves them and their families. My focus is on soil and water conservation in Orange County.
Utility costs are rising for customers in Florida and the proliferation of data centers is expected to exacerbate that. How should Florida’s utility regulators respond?
This is a matter for the Florida Public Service Commission and state legislature, not the Soil and Water Conservation District. This office has no authority over utility regulation. I’d encourage voters to look into how the PSC is addressing this and vote based on what matters most to them. My commitment is to the responsibilities of this office — protecting Orange County’s land and water resources.
What is the biggest environmental issue the government should address in Florida?
Water. The compounding pressure of rapid development on a water system that Florida’s growth has already strained — declining aquifer levels, polluted runoff into lakes and waterways, and the loss of natural land that used to absorb and filter rain before it ever reached our water supply. Every other environmental issue in this state, such as flooding, algae blooms, agricultural sustainability, traces back to how we manage water and the land that protects it. That’s the lane the Soil and Water Conservation District exists to work in, and it’s why I’m running for this seat specifically.
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