The Anna Maria Island Sun Newspaper

Vol. 14 No. 21 - March 19, 2014

reel time

The water and land conservation amendment

Reel time

rusty chinnis | sun

The Sister Keys are a prime example of the importance
of preserving Florida’s natural assets

Florida’s Water and Land Legacy (FWLL) is a collection of Florida’s leading conservation organizations including The Trust for Public Land, Sierra Club, Audubon Florida and the Florida Wildlife Federation, to name a few. In conjunction with concerned citizens, they have united to launch a major constitutional initiative Amendment 1, on the Nov. 4 ballot.

The FWLL is working to make sure our prized beaches, rivers, springs, lakes and forests are protected for future generations. These natural areas supply us with clean water as well as improve our quality of life. Irreplaceable habitats like the Everglades and the world-class beaches that line Florida’s coastlines draw millions of tourists and Floridians every year and are the backbone of our tourism economy.

Despite the importance of these natural areas almost 2 million acres remain exposed to reckless development and funding cuts. Amendment 1 creates a wise, long-term funding for programs like Florida Forever and Everglades restoration, ensuring that we protect our most valuable waters and lands for future generations.

FWLL’s constitutional amendment assures that adequate funding is dedicated solely to restoring critical conservation lands for future generations. The amendment accomplishes this by directing one-third of existing state revenues from doc stamps to fund critical conservation and restoration projects.

Fees will be assessed on real estate transactions, a process that has been used in Florida for decades to pay for important programs including affordable housing. Unfortunately since 2009, these fees have been gone to the state’s general revenues while Florida Forever has been slashed by 97.5 percent.

In 2012, the legislature allocated only $8.5 million to protect important water protection areas and conservation lands. With a state budget of $60 billion, for every dollar the state spent in 2012, less than two-hundredths of a penny would go to program for water and land conservation. That’s less than $1 for every Floridian. The amendment will produce more than $5 billion for water and land conservation over 10 years and $10 billion over the amendment's 20-year life. All this will be accomplished without a tax increase.

In Florida, conserving the water quality of our lakes, springs, and rivers and acquiring lands necessary to protect drinking water sources historically has gone beyond party politics. Programs like Florida Forever – geared towards funding important conservation projects – have been a priority of every governor for the last four decades, including Graham, Martinez, Chiles, Bush and Crist.

The need for such a constitutional amendment became all the more important when the Department of Environmental Protection proposed the sale of conservation lands as a way to fund the Florida Forever program. The proposal alarmed conservationist when they learned the Legislature had proposed the sale of conservation lands as a way of raising $50 million to finance new purchases of environmentally sensitive lands. When that plan was examined it was discovered that the list of properties that had been considered for sale were vitally important for the protection of water and wildlife resources. Fortunately that proposal was rejected.

Now the plan is to fund Florida Forever through the sale of less sensitive properties such as unused hospitals and prisons. This will raise critical funds for Florida Forever, but a more dedicated means of funding is required. All concerned citizens are encouraged to become familiar with the amendment.

To donate to the campaign and volunteer, go to the group’s website at www.voteyeson1fl.org or call 1-850-629-4856. Florida conservation land and water protection should be a priority because it will generate much more income to the state and its citizens in the future.


AMISUN ~ The Island's Award-Winning Newspaper