Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster
Lawmakers may be prepared to pass a massive water bill, but that doesn’t mean the battle over Florida’s water woes is over.
State lawmakers are expected to take up the measure — HB 7005 and SB 552 — shortly after the annual 60-day session convenes this week. The measure, years in the making, is likely to pass both chambers.
Among other things, the proposal creates the Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act; updates and restructures the Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program; and calls on the Department of Environmental Protection to conduct an annual assessment of water resources and conservation lands.
The proposals have received widespread support in committee hearings, and Rep. Matt Caldwell, a North Fort Myers Republican and sponsor of the House bill, said it is an effort to clean up state statutes. Rep. Jose Javier Rodriguez, a Miami Democrat, thus far is the only state lawmaker to vote against it.
It’s a top priority for Rep. Steve Crisafulli and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, and has received support from the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Farm Bureau Federation and Associated Industries of Florida.
In recent weeks, however, environmental organizations have come out in opposition.
In December, more than 100 environmental organizations and businesses — including 1000 Friends of Florida, Florida Clean Water Network, the League of Women Voters of Florida and Sierra Club — sent a letter to Crisafulli, Senate President Andy Gardiner and state lawmakers calling for the bill to be amended to address “significant concerns.”
House and Senate Democrats said they would bring up floor amendments to address concerns, but bill sponsors, including Caldwell, have said they would oppose those changes.
Lawmakers may also be prepared set aside additional dollars for projects to restore the Everglades, following a tumultuous 2015 session where they faced criticism for how Amendment 1 dollars were allocated.
Rep. Gayle Harrell, a Stuart Republican, has filed legislation, HB 989, that secures 25 percent or $200 million annually, whichever is smallest, from money available through the land and water conservation amendment. Sen. Joe Negron, a Stuart Republican, is sponsoring similar legislation, SB 1168, in the Senate.
Lawmakers expect to see a significant increase in Amendment 1 dollars this year, and Caldwell said he hopes to spend “as much as we can on land acquisition.”
Several environmental groups, including the Florida Wildlife Federation and the Sierra Club — have asked a judge to rule the state Legislature violated the constitution by spending some of the Amendment 1 dollars on to pay for salaries and other agency expenses.
