Ryan RayWednesday afternoon Senate Committee on Environmental Preservation and Conservation Chairman Charlie Dean announced the creation of a state governmental webpage to collect comments from the public regarding the implementation of the recently-passed constitutional amendment that mandates greater spending on water and land conservation efforts in Florida.
The Inverness Republican released a announcement stating that “Florida’s environment impacts every single resident and visitor to our state, so we want to be certain that we hear from Floridians with specific ideas for how to implement this constitutional amendment. This webpage gives all interested citizens the opportunity to play a meaningful role in the legislative process.”
Amendment 1, entitled Water and Land Conservation on the ballot, passed with 75 percent of the vote back in November, well above the 60 percent required for approval. The amendment requires one third of all revenue from the documentary stamp fees buyers and investors pay when purchasing real estate in Florida to go toward efforts to protect environmentally sensitive land and water.
Public comment has been abundant on environmental issues in the recent past, such as when Palm Bay Republican Sen. Joe Negron held workshops in South Florida regarding a simmering water crisis in the Indian River Lagoon. Thousands of online comments were received on the issue along with multiple afternoons of in-person testimony.
The news comes amid promises that this legislative year will be a momentous one for water policy, particularly on behalf of incoming Speaker Steve Crisafulli of Merritt Island.
The new page will be housed on the Florida Senate website. The comment solicitation is accessible here.
