Environmental groups statewide are urging the 75% of Floridians who voted for Amendment One to take advantage of the Fl. Senate's new web page and offer suggestions on how to best spend the money. Public input is always a good idea, but hopefully citizens will take a moment to think before they comment, and won't be swayed by all the special interest groups that are now clamoring for a slice of the pie.
Amendment One money should be used for conservation programs that have already proven their worth but were largely defunded in recent years. Examples include Florida Forever and Save Our Rivers, among others. Everglades Restoration and projects such as the clean up of the troubled Indian River Lagoon are examples of other acceptable funding uses. Funds should not be used to pay for environmental programs that have always been funded through general revenues. This is basically what happened to lottery funds that were supposed to be used to provide new money for schools.
Amendment One funds were not intended for local waste water projects or sewage plant upgrades, as some water utilities and even Tallahassee politicians like House Speaker Steve Crisafulli are suggesting. Yes, more money is needed for these serious problems, but it was not the intent of the amendment to pay for public works projects as there are better sources in place for them.
A somewhat touchy issue is beach sand replacement. Florida Audubon has suggested 30 million for beaches. This is the amount of Doc stamp money that had been spent annually on beach projects, but was dropped during the recession. Senator Charlie Dean, chairman of the Senate's Committee on Environmental Preservation and Conservation, which will determine how to spend the money, believes there will be a certain amount for beaches, but that it is too soon to be talking dollar amounts.
Senator Dean has also spoken up for his home county, and stated in the Chronicle recently that cleaning King's Bay is a perfect fit for the Amendment 1 program. Some Citrus County environmentalists think that the money would be better spent by attacking the sources of pollution that created the mess in the first place!
In the category of most worrisome suggestions, Agriculture wants money for building sewage treatment plants to subsidize more subdivisions on what is now farm land, while hunters are hoping for more hunting preserves!
In conclusion, let your opinions be known on the Senate web site, but carefully review the text of the amendment first!! A few interested parties are already threatening lawsuits, and it is the amendment text that will be used to settle any issues that arise. Some helpful web sites follow:
Amendment text: http://www.voteyeson1fl.org/sections/page/amendment
Senate web site for comments: http://www.voteyeson1fl.org/sections/page/amendment
Chronicle Editorial Friday Jan 23, 2015:
http://www.chronicleonline.com/content/environmental-protection-let-ideas-flow
Another very helpful web site: http://floridawaterlandlegacy.org/sections/page/takeaction
Amendment One funds were not intended for local waste water projects or sewage plant upgrades, as some water utilities and even Tallahassee politicians like House Speaker Steve Crisafulli are suggesting. Yes, more money is needed for these serious problems, but it was not the intent of the amendment to pay for public works projects as there are better sources in place for them.
A somewhat touchy issue is beach sand replacement. Florida Audubon has suggested 30 million for beaches. This is the amount of Doc stamp money that had been spent annually on beach projects, but was dropped during the recession. Senator Charlie Dean, chairman of the Senate's Committee on Environmental Preservation and Conservation, which will determine how to spend the money, believes there will be a certain amount for beaches, but that it is too soon to be talking dollar amounts.
Senator Dean has also spoken up for his home county, and stated in the Chronicle recently that cleaning King's Bay is a perfect fit for the Amendment 1 program. Some Citrus County environmentalists think that the money would be better spent by attacking the sources of pollution that created the mess in the first place!
In the category of most worrisome suggestions, Agriculture wants money for building sewage treatment plants to subsidize more subdivisions on what is now farm land, while hunters are hoping for more hunting preserves!
In conclusion, let your opinions be known on the Senate web site, but carefully review the text of the amendment first!! A few interested parties are already threatening lawsuits, and it is the amendment text that will be used to settle any issues that arise. Some helpful web sites follow:
Amendment text: http://www.voteyeson1fl.org/sections/page/amendment
Senate web site for comments: http://www.voteyeson1fl.org/sections/page/amendment
Chronicle Editorial Friday Jan 23, 2015:
http://www.chronicleonline.com/content/environmental-protection-let-ideas-flow
Another very helpful web site: http://floridawaterlandlegacy.org/sections/page/takeaction
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