Gov. DeSantis signs bill putting all soil and water board seats on the ballot days before qualifying

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The new law creates last-minute pressure on all board members, even those in the middle of their terms, to qualify.

Florida now has stricter membership qualifications to serve on the boards of the state’s Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and only days to qualify thanks to a measure Gov. Ron DeSantis signed this week.

The law (SB 1078) requires candidates for Soil and Water Conservation District boards, a volunteer public office, to either be agriculture producers working or retired after at least 15 years of work or be employed by an agriculture producer.

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Rob Long, Chair of the Palm Beach Soil and Water Conservation District, is halfway through his second term of the board. His background is in civil engineering, not in agriculture, and he did not bother trying to qualify for re-election.

“I think the will of the voters has been subverted. I’ve never heard of anyone being stripped of their elected office halfway through their term,” Long told Florida Politics. “I didn’t know that was legal. I feel like it’s a civil rights violation.”

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https://floridapolitics.com/archives/533103-gov-desantis-signs-bill-putting-all-soil-and-water-board-seats-on-the-ballot-days-before-qualifying-deadline/