Melissa Ross
Add Jacksonville’s North Florida Land Trust to the chorus of outrage over the Legislature’s proposal for the Amendment 1 budget.
Amendment 1 passed overwhelmingly in November. The measure is designed to dedicate 33 percent of revenue from excise taxes to protect the state’s land and water resources.
Now environmental groups like the NFLT are furious that the Senate is proposing to spend $714.2 million on Amendment 1, which is about $58 million less than the House proposed and $43 million less than what Gov. Rick Scott set aside for it.
The Senate’s proposed budget also allocates just $2 million to fund land acquisition under the state’s Florida Forever program, an 84 percent cut from this year’s budget.
“This bill throws the intent of the voters, who supported this measure in overwhelming numbers, directly under the bus,” said Adam Hoyles, board president of the North Florida Land Trust. “The Legislature is turning what was the largest citizen-supported environmental measure in the state’s history, into budgetary offsets with a mere pittance set aside for new conservation programs.”
The NFLT quotes State Sen. Thad Altman of Melbourne from a subcommittee meeting: “We’ve appropriated $22 million for land acquisition in this budget. I just want to point out for the record I think that not only violates the intent of the voters but it violates our constitution.”
NFLT leaders also say they’re concerned that Amendment 1 money will be used to offset existing programs or fund infrastructure projects rather than buying and conserving land and water. They’re urging Floridians to contact their state legislator to express concern.
“At a time when new growth and development is expanding across Northeast Florida, we will have no resources to set the best part of our environments aside for preservation,” said Jim McCarthy, executive director of NFLT. “Paying for wastewater treatment and staff salaries is not what any of us voted for and nearly 75 percent of us did support the amendment.”
“The Amendment 1 voters were shown included the preservation of our natural resources and not the preservation of the infrastructure budget bottom line. Now is the time to preserve our future,” McCarthy said.
