Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Diane RobertsMarch 17, 2015

OCCUPIED TALLAHASSEE–When the Death Mermaid shows up, pay attention. Back in 1881, she appeared to Hamilton Disston, warning him against trying to drain the Everglades. Old Ham, never the most emotionally stable of multimillionaires, shut his eyes tight and swore on his mother’s grave he’d stop drinking cologne. In 1969, she scared the feds into […]

Bruce RitchieMarch 17, 2015

A House appropriations subcommittee chair on Tuesday recommended bonding Amendment 1 revenue for land-buying while using a significant amount of the cash from the conservation-spending initiative for existing environmental spending, debt service, land management, and agricultural water programs. A key issue in the 2015 Legislative Session is how the Legislature will spend an estimated $757 million […]

Bruce RitchieMarch 15, 2015

Rep. Steve Crisafulli suggests the state needs to take better care of its land before buying any more with Amendment 1 money. Amendment 1, approved by 75 percent of voters statewide in November, is expected to provide $757 million for water and land conservation programs in the coming year. Crisafulli, a Republican from Merritt Island, […]

Bruce RitchieMarch 13, 2015

Wasn’t the environment supposed to get more money under Amendment 1 — not less? Is this the old Lottery-style switcharoo? Those are obvious questions to be asking after the House issued the general revenue allocation on Friday for the 2015-16 state budget. Agriculture and natural resources spending appeared to be taking a hit — at […]

Bruce RitchieMarch 13, 2015

Wasn’t the environment supposed to get more money under Amendment 1 — not less? Is this the old Lottery-style switcharoo? Those are obvious questions to be asking after the House issued the general revenue allocation on Friday for the 2015-16 state budget. Agriculture and natural resources spending appeared to be taking a hit — at […]

James CallMarch 11, 2015

OK folks, get your note cards ready because it’s going to start getting complicated quickly. When people say politics is all about the money they are right. The only reason the state Capitol represents a village during the 60-day annual Legislative Session is because billions of dollars are at stake — everyone wants a piece […]

Bruce RitchieMarch 11, 2015

State Sen. Alan Hays on Wednesday sternly told a Senate subcommittee audience that the Legislature had not neglected the environment in past years, and that Amendment 1 supporters may have misled Florida voters. The ballot initiative, approved by 75 percent of voters in November, provides an estimated $22.6 billion towards water and land conservation during […]

Guest AuthorMarch 11, 2015

Only two months into the New Year and already the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has started to release polluted water from Lake Okeechobee, resulting in water flowing into the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers, and the Indian River Lagoon, which is expected to continue over the coming weeks and months. Millions of Floridians are […]

Guest AuthorMarch 10, 2015

Only two months into the New Year and already the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has started to release polluted water from Lake Okeechobee, resulting in water flowing into the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers, and the Indian River Lagoon, which is expected to continue over the coming weeks and months. Millions of Floridians are […]

James CallMarch 8, 2015

This week politics at the state Capitol will be about money and a search for clarity. Legislators will get a better view of the hill they need to climb in building a state budget for the year beginning July 1. The Revenue Estimating Conference meets Tuesday and will count up how much tax money the […]

Tag: Amendment 1
Anheuser-Busch has a longstanding tradition of providing emergency drinking water and supplies for disaster relief efforts.

Diane Roberts: Legislators, ignore the Death Mermaid at your peril

Idea would bond Amendment 1 income, free cash for other enviro projects

Bruce Ritchie: Manage state land better AND buy more. It's not either/or

Analysis: Is the environment screwed in the House allocations? Maybe, but we don't know yet

Analysis: Is the environment screwed in the House allocations? Maybe, but we don’t know yet

The Day That Was in Florida Politics — March 11

Alan Hays says Amendment 1 backers misled voters

Eric Eikenberg: To stop polluting rivers, buy land for reservoir

Eric Eikenberg: To stop polluting rivers, buy land for reservoir

Capitol Preview: Money, press skits and the search for clarity