As the 2015 Florida Legislative session draws closer and closer, interest continues to mount as to the disposition and interpretation of this monumental amendment. Tom Ninestine of the Pensacola News Journal has opted to print OSFR’s opinion piece regarding this issue.
Ever since the passage of Amendment 1, there have been increasing concerns about how the funds will be spent. Some groups want huge percentages spent on things not emphasized in the Land Acquisition Program, such as on septic tanks and water supply. Items such as these and similar ones, such as wastewater infrastructure, can be addressed locally and by state-insured bonds and by funding sources such as the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, and not Amendment 1.
Two main concerns have surfaced regarding the Amendment1 issue: one is a concern as to how much of the funds will be used for what program, and that the allocations must be faithful to the categories outlined in the amendment. The second is that the current funding for environmental programs not be eliminated and used elsewhere since a lot of new money will come from Amendment 1.
Please follow this link to see the entire article in today’s News Journal, Sunday, February 15, 2015, and also, if you have not already done this, please contact your legislators to encourage them to do the right thing for Florida.
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