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 Publix grocery manager, who was raised on seven acres of Ocoee farmland across from where Orlando Health's Health Central Hospital stands now, told VoxPopuli 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 wildlife, 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 Nov. 3 nonpartisan election against farmers' rights advocate Quinnie Perez and board treasurer Vicente Rafael Pérez 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.

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.

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.

What policies would you want to implement?

 One of the big ones would be water protection and the chemicals we're putting into the water. If you're from here, you know the history of Lake Apopka. [It was considered the state’s most polluted large lake.] Honestly, I still don't touch the water. But I grew up in a time where you couldn't touch the lake. It was terrible. I don't ever want to see that happen again. Lake Apopka's come a long way. I want to see that continue to improve, and I want to see the lakes in this area be protected. I have some personal relationships with quite a few of the local farmers around here. If we could find a way to get them to the correct resources to make sure we're not putting things into our water and our soil that should not be there.

What does responsible stewardship look like to you?

We should all be good stewards in life. We only get one Earth. We only have one Florida. There's only one West Orange County. I've been all through it — backcountry-camped every little nook and cranny you can think of. Slept in swamps, trudged through... I mean, our property had swamps and ponds with otters in them.

People want to make profits, but we have to think about the future. I have a 9 year old. On the website, you see us fishing. I want him to be able to do that with his kids later. The office can be used to hold people accountable, communicate the right information, make sure professionals are doing the right thing for the environment. I think everyone wants to be a good person. Sometimes they don't know the right thing to do. So I think it's the office’s responsibility to educate people, reach out to them and show them how they can be a good steward to the environment.

Do you believe climate change is affecting Orange County's waterways and environment?

Not to the degrees that the development is. I think locally is where we need to look. Whether people believe in it or not, whether it's happening or not, we can't affect the whole climate. What we can affect is our own little piece, our bubble. So I want to focus on our bubble. I think development in the area is where we can affect the most change.

Do I think climate change is affecting us? I think it's a moot point. I think doing outreach, holding people accountable, being a good steward, getting out and experiencing the natural places around us to see what it is and what happens to it when people do things is much more important than worrying about global climate change. I think just being a good human and taking care of your environment is where the focus should be. Because at the end of the day, ultimately, local decisions affect us more. Then if every local government is doing the right thing, that will expand, and the Earth will take care of itself

Why should voters be interested in this race?

People are worried about the president. Well, the president isn't building 800 homes around the corner. The governor's not. The mayor's not. Developers are.