[StarfishKey]

An Op-Ed piece for The Keynoter comes from a former Jeb Bush appointee and current president of an environmental planning consulting firm located in Key West [I can personally attest to the fact that the funding for invasive species, as she mentions, is far too low - they are rapidly destroying Florida, and especially the delicate ecosystem in the Florida Keys, which is rapidly forcing endangered plants and animals off the map entirely... so this kind of earmarked funding, as is part of multiple other states' constitutions, is really important for Florida's future]:
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Why Florida, and particularly the Keys, needs Amendment 1

By SANDY WALTERS
Keynoter PublishingOctober 24, 2014



Amendment 1 would have documentary stamp taxes finance water and land conservation.



Florida is an amazing state. While most people think of beaches and Disney, few know that Florida is the third-largest cattle-raising state in the U.S.

Florida has huge acreages of federal and state forests, and more top-notch freshwater spring systems than anywhere else in the world. The variety of natural habitats in Florida is astonishing, including the Everglades, the Lake Wales Ridge and our own Florida Keys, with just these three areas alone hosting hundreds of unique species of flora and fauna. Florida's 161 state parks have several times been ranked the best in the nation.

Florida's human population is about to top 20 million, moving the state soon to the third-most populous in the nation, but Florida is only 22nd of all states in size.

Florida has almost 10 million acres of land in conservation ownership, which sounds like a lot but is less than 22 percent of all the state's land and waters. And the continuously growing population is constantly challenging protection of Florida's exceptional and unique natural resources.

I had the privilege to be appointed by then-Gov. Jeb Bush to serve from 2000 to 2004 on the Acquisition and Restoration Council, which oversees purchase and management of Florida's conservation lands through the Florida Forever program. While I have spent my entire career working as an environmental professional in Florida, the experience on that council was hugely eye-opening regarding our special state and its environment.

We reviewed purchase or conservations easement applications for special places all over Florida, and back then were able to protect many of them because Florida Forever was well-funded. However, that changed drastically when the economic downturn hit.

Amendment 1 to Florida's Constitution would dedicate one-third of documentary taxes generated by real estate sales to water and land conservation in Florida over 20 years. It would raise an estimated $1.26 billion over the 20 years.

Amendment 1 is critical to the protection of Florida's natural resources by providing a continuous source of funding for conservation lands. In particular, the need to manage conservation areas effectively, both for public use and for environmental protection, will never go away. This continuous source will ensure we can take care of what we have.

When serving on the Acquisition and Restoration Council, I reviewed hundreds of state land management plans, and was always struck by how much we managed for how little. Control of exotic invasive vegetation and wildlife, while hugely important, typically was handled on a shoestring because so much else had to be done. Habitat restoration, while part of the name of the council, received little attention as funds had to go to the basics.

We who live in the unique and very special Florida Keys have a particular focus on the environment, as it is the main focus of our quality of life and our economy. Amendment 1 would help continue the state funding that has contributed to the protection of much of our conservation lands, sharing the cost with our locally enacted tourist tax. It would also help with management of our Keys conservation lands, hundreds of acres of which are currently managed by one amazing man who is clearly stretched very thin.

Please vote yes for Amendment 1, either during early voting or on Nov. 4. It is the smart thing, and will do Florida, and the Florida Keys, proud.

Sandy Walters is president of SWC, an environmental, planning and communications consulting firm headquartered Key West. She is a member of the South Florida Regional Planning Council, which addresses regional projects affecting Monroe, Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

[Restrain]

So the state and federal government owns 22% of all land in Florida, and the government wants to buy more land....and more land...and more land.

So the money comes out of the budget which would otherwise go to helping deal with the gridlock on the highways, schools, etc. And then the money to manage these lands comes out of the budget....and then the lands no longer contribute to the local tax base, which takes money out of the budget....

All of which means we the taxpayer pay more and more in taxes to fund short-sighted land acquisition projects, which only benefit the landowners....except if the landowners don't want to sell, so the government seizes it through eminent domain.

Nope.

[bbronston]

The issue before the voters is not about whether money should go toward these environmental purposes. The question is should the constitution require a fixed expenditure for these purposes or should the legislature, the people elected to make decisions on spending and taxes, the people held accountable for their decisions at election time, should they continue to have the responsibility and discretion to put funds where they are needed, in good times and bad?

Voters need to understand that amendments are not like voting on laws. Laws can be tweaked as needed, amendments...not so much. I voted NO on all three amendments. Not because I necessarily disagree on their stated objectives but because achieving those objectives thru amendments is bad government, potentially dangerous, and an improper override of legislative responsibility. I voted early and I took the long view. I know some people would rather have quick gratification for their particular pet projects and interests but sometimes quick gratification hurts more than it helps.

[d4g4m]

Local, county, state, federal governments control, manage, own too much property. It's time to say, no more.