Senate Refuses to Take a Vote on Bonds for Land Conservation
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| Audubon's Eric Draper addresses the media on Sen. Altman's Florida Forever amendment. |
The Florida Senate passed a budget SB 2500 with $52 million for land conservation but refused to take a vote on an amendment offered by Senator Thad Altman (R-Cape Canaveral) to authorize $220 million in bonds for land conservation through the existing Florida Forever program. Altman had lined up a bipartisan coalition to support the amendment but did not have the necessary votes to waive the rules. Thank you to the more than 1000 people who responded to Audubon Florida’s request to contact Senators.
Audubon's Eric Draper joined Senator Altman in a press conference before the vote and noted that with Florida’s economic and population growth it is time to invest in saving natural Florida.
Senate Committee Adds Springs to Everglades Funding Bill
SB 1168 now locks in for ten years 25% of Amendment 1 funds for Everglades restoration and 7.6% for springs protection. The bill advanced in the Senate Environment Preservation and Conservation Committeeon Wednesday. The bill now puts significant resources into both South Florida’s biggest water-related concerns and North Florida’s biggest concerns. While House and Senate offer different amounts of money for Everglades and springs, the bill sets a floor for that spending.
The House passed its version of the bill through the Appropriations Committee this week. The House bill does not have a springs provision.
Local Government Environmental Financing
HB 447 passed its second of three committees this week, moving it one step closer to passage. This good legislation will provide a much-needed $25M annual commitment for 10 years that will fund land acquisition and water quality improvements in the Keys. SB 770 by Senator Wilton Simpson (R-New Port Richey) has two committees remaining. Audubon thanks Representative Holly Raschein (R-Key Largo) and Senator Simpson for their efforts to protect the Florida Keys.
State Park Fee Discounts for Senior Citizens
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HB 677 by Representative Cynthia Stafford (D- Opa Locka) passed its last committee in the House this week. The bill has been amended to provide for a one year, 25% discount for state park annual passes for senior citizens. The fiscal impact is estimated to be $200,000 and the bill provides an appropriation for this amount to protect the state parks budget and cover the cost of the discount. The companion measure, SB 1000 by Senator Geraldine Thompson has not received a hearing. However, SB 570by Senator Charlie Dean (R-Inverness) is a broader bill that provides a one year fee holiday for most state parks. It contains a $27.3M appropriation, which would protect the state parks budget as well. We anticipate that the House and Senate may reach a compromise on this issue, but both chambers have worked to ensure that any fee holiday or reduction will not end up harming parks. Audubon thanks the bill sponsors as well as House and Senate leaders for their thoughtful consideration of this issue.
State Lands
SB 1290 by Senator Wilton Simpson (R-New Port Richey) passed its first committee this week. Senator Darren Soto (D-Kissimmee) filed an amendment to preserve the existing definition of “water resource development project” for Florida Forever purposes, which sparked a good discussion regarding this issue. We appreciate his efforts to clarify this issue and help protect against a negative policy shift. Senator Simpson reiterated his commitment to work with the stakeholders on this legislation. We have provided several comments and suggestions for changes to both sponsors and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). While Audubon does have several significant concerns with the legislation, our initial meetings have been productive and encouraging. The companion, HB 1075 by Representative Matt Caldwell (R-Lehigh Acres), is in its last committee, State Affairs.
DEP Reorganization
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HB 561 by Representative Neil Combee (R-Auburndale) passed its last committee this week. This bill previously gave the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary broad authority to create and abolish Divisions of the agency and removed the mandate to have a Division of Recreation and Parks. The bill has been amended with language supported by Audubon Florida that restores the Division of Recreation and Parks and other important Divisions, while still giving the Secretary authority to create other Divisions as needed. We appreciate Representative Combee and DEP’s willingness to work out a viable solution for this legislation. SB 400 by Senator Alan Hays (R-Umatilla) is in its last committee, Appropriations.
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