A familiar Jacksonville name is stepping into a statewide conversation about Florida’s natural rivers.

Evan Tucker — local activist, business owner, husband, father, outdoorsman, and yes… the son of Eye on Jacksonville founder Billie Tucker — has been working to restore the historic Ocklawaha River.

At the center of the discussion is the future of the Rodman Reservoir, a long-debated project that many conservationists believe should be restored to its natural river flow so thousands of acres of springs, forests, and wildlife habitat can come back to life.

Evan recently took that message statewide in a column published by Florida Politics, making the case that healthy rivers matter — to anglers, to wildlife, and to the future of Florida’s natural beauty.

Now, people can debate the Rodman Reservoir all day long. But there is something bigger here worth pointing out.

This is what citizen engagement looks like.

Instead of sitting on the sidelines, Evan has done what we always encourage people to do — learn the issue, speak up, put in the time, and stand behind what you believe in.

That takes work, backbone, time, energy and sometimes, money.

And yes… speaking as his mom, I’m pretty proud of him. 

Florida gets better when citizens care enough to get involved and fight for the things they believe will make our state stronger.

You can read Evan Tucker’s full article in Florida Politics here:

Evan Tucker: Florida anglers know healthy rivers matter — and it’s time to restore the Ocklawaha