A Florida House candidate from Northwest Jacksonville is calling on local environmental activists to highlight issues in her community.
Democrat Angie Nixon, who’s running in the primary against incumbent state Rep. Kimberly Daniels (D-District 14), told members of Jacksonville’s Resiliency and Climate Change Coalition today that many people who live in Northwest Jacksonville are poor and have to work two jobs just to make ends meet, making it nearly impossible to go to City Hall to voice their concerns.
“We know the squeaky wheel gets the oil, right? Unfortunately, many in my community are often working multiple jobs,” Nixon explained.
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“They don’t have time to necessarily go down there to advocate for themselves. So it’s really important for community leaders like yourselves, and like me, to speak up for those who can’t speak up for themselves,” she said.
Nixon, who’s seven months pregnant and was recently diagnosed with COVID-19, said flooding is a big issue in that area due to a lack of quality infrastructure.
She worries the issue will only get worse as the climate continues to change unless something’s done.
“I hope that everyone heard you and we’re all going to take all the guidance you gave us into consideration,” said Coalition Chair Shannon Blankinship, who is also the Advocacy Director for the St. Johns Riverkeeper.
Brendan Rivers can be reached at brivers@wjct.org, 904-358-6396 or on Twitter at @BrendanRivers.
