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The Struggle Continues on Amendment 1

florida forever logo2 In: The Struggle Continues on Amendment 1 | Our Santa Fe River, Inc. (OSFR) | Protecting the Santa Fe River

florida forever logo2 In: The Struggle Continues on Amendment 1 | Our Santa Fe River, Inc. (OSFR) | Protecting the Santa Fe River

 

So while these small victories may soundĀ  like huge achievements, they pale in comparison to where we were a few years ago.
Ā Read the entire article here in the Gainesville Sun.

Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
-A river is like a life: once taken, it cannot be brought back-


Senate signs off on Florida Forever funding

By Jim Turner / The News Service of Florida

Posted JanĀ 31,Ā 2018Ā atĀ 5:33Ā PM

TALLAHASSEE ā€” Voter-approved money for land and water conservation continues to be carved up by the Senate, while the House is on a different path.

The Senate voted 37-0 on Wednesday to approve a proposal that would set aside at least $100 million a year for the Florida Forever program (HB 370) from money stemming from a 2014 constitutional amendment. Meanwhile, the Senate Appropriations Committee supported a bill (SB 174) that calls for spending $50 million year on the maintenance and restoration of beaches and inlets.

Also, the Senate on Thursday is slated to take up a proposal (SB 204) that would boost funding for natural springs from $50 million to $75 million a year and provide $50 million a year for the restoration of the St. Johns River and other North Florida waterways.

Aliki Moncrief In: The Struggle Continues on Amendment 1 | Our Santa Fe River, Inc. (OSFR) | Protecting the Santa Fe River
Aliki Moncrief

Aliki Moncrief, executive director of the Florida Conservation Voters, called the Florida Forever funding a ā€œsignificant step forward for the future of land conservation in Florida.ā€But she added that eyes are now on the House.

ā€œThe millions of Florida voters who said yes to the 2014 Water and Land Conservation (constitutional) amendment are watching, and they expect to see the House respond in kind,ā€ Moncrief said.

A House version of the Florida Forever funding bill (HB 1353) has not been heard in committees. Similarly, a measure about beach funding (HB 131) hasnā€™t been heard.

Meanwhile, another House proposal (HB 7063), which has started to move, would limit Florida Forever dollars to certain land acquisition.

The proposal, sponsored by Rep. Matt Caldwell, R-North Fort Myers, would give the Department of Environmental Protection $57 million from the Florida Forever trust fund next fiscal year. The amount would gradually rise to $110 million in the 2023-2024 fiscal year and $200 million starting with the 2029-2030 budget.

The House has $79.5 million in its proposed budget for beach restoration, including $25 million for repairs due to Hurricane Irma.

Meanwhile, the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday voted to shift $25 million from the stateā€™s springs funding to the Rural and Family Lands Preservation program.

reclaimFLdavecullen In: The Struggle Continues on Amendment 1 | Our Santa Fe River, Inc. (OSFR) | Protecting the Santa Fe River
David Cullen

David Cullen, a lobbyist for the Sierra Club, urged the committee to find another location to draw the money for the Rural and Family Lands programs.

ā€œWe look at this amendment with significant concern,ā€ Cullen said. ā€œWe think the $25 million from springs is needed there.ā€

Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, who is running for governor, has sought $75 million for the Rural and Family Lands program, which has been a key part of conservation efforts in recent years. Gov. Rick Scott didnā€™t include the program in his proposed budget.

Senate Appropriations Chairman Rob Bradley, a Fleming Island Republican who sponsored the Senateā€™s Florida Forever bill, said as Florida has become the third most-populous state, lawmakers have a responsibility to preserve the ā€œunique ecosystems that canā€™t be replicated anywhere else in the world.ā€

 

Bradley defended lawmakersā€™ past agency spending but said his change ā€œrespectsā€ the desire of the 2014 voters.

ā€œWe need to honor the will of the voters as what I believe they told us when they voted,ā€ Bradley said. ā€œThis isnā€™t a legal matter. This is a matter for our discretion.ā€

The constitutional amendment sends 33 percent of revenues from a tax on real-estate documentary stamps to the Land Acquisition Trust Fund. In recent years, legislators have directed at least $200 million a year of the money to the Everglades, $64 million a year to a reservoir in the Everglades Agricultural Area, $50 million to natural springs and $5 million to Lake Apopka.

The ā€œdoc stampā€ tax is expected to generate $862.2 million in the next year for the trust fund.

The Florida Forever program, which in the past received as much as $300 million a year, has for nearly a decade fallen out of favor among lawmakers.

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