Candidate Profile: Doug Sahr

Frustrated by watching “natural Florida disappear,” Doug Sahr of Gotha decided to run for the District 1 seat on the Orange Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors. The assistant grocery manager at Publix, raised on seven acres of farmland in West Orange County, told VoxPopuli recently that Orange County needs “someone that will protect where they grew up.”

The Soil and Water Board advocates for policy rather than creating its own. Sahr’s priorities include expanding the board’s community outreach and focusing on the continued restoration and protection of Lake Apopka, protecting the area’s animals, and building personal, working relationships to support farmers.

“The community deserves to be educated on what is happening, how things are being built, and what they can do personally,” said Sahr. Specifically, he’s proposed working with existing community events and local media outlets to get “more information into people’s hands” regarding the environmental cost of land use.  

Sahr squares off in the nonpartisan Aug. 18 election against farmers rights advocate Quinnie Perez and board treasurer Vicente Rafael Perez Carreño. District 1 encompasses Lake Buena Vista, Bay Lake, Windermere, Winter Garden, Oakland and portions of Lake Apopka.

Here, Sahr answers questions from VoxPopuli and the News Collaborative of Central Florida.

If elected, 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 are you running now?

 I've had people reach out to me, professionals within the community, suggesting it. Over the last 10 years, there's been a lot of change around here. I've personally experienced a lot of frustration on the way things are handled. Not that change is a bad thing because change is a great thing. But I'm watching the natural Florida disappear. And we need to protect that because there's a finite amount of land. So we need to advocate

Why do you deserve to be elected to this office?

I feel like I could bring value to the position, especially now with all the rapid growth. I mean, we took a drive to Ocala the other day. All you see is land being razed and houses being built. I think all of us need stronger voices. Dare I say, a loud voice? Someone that will protect where they grew up. I have a pretty vast network through networking with professionals, governmental, private businesses, philanthropists that I could reach out to that could give extra resources to the department. We can do so much more for our area and the state if we just reach out to the right people. That's what I would love to bring because with extra resources is more outreach, more advocacy, holding everyone to better standards, more research, all those types of things.

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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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