I VOTE YES ON # 1 Making sense of Floridas 2014 Amendment 1: Water & Land Conservation What it says: Water and Land Conservation — Dedicates funds to acquire and restore Florida conservation and recreation lands Funds the Land Acquisition Trust Fund to acquire, restore, improve, and manage conservation lands including wetlands and forests; fish and wildlife habitat; lands protecting water resources and drinking water sources, including the Everglades, and the water quality of rivers, lakes, and streams; beaches and shores; outdoor recreational lands; working farms and ranches; and historic or geologic sites, by dedicating 33 percent of net revenues from the existing excise tax on documents for 20 years. What it means: Millions of people from around the world visit the Sunshine State each year. We have one of the most unique ecosystems in the country. Preserving those environmentally sensitive areas costs millions of dollars each year. Some legislators have become concerned that the funding for preservation projects is not consistent. Amendment 1 would constitutionally fund the projects for the next 20 years. It is very straightforward, said Former Florida congressman and Attorney General Bill McCollum. There is no new program created. There are no new taxes involved in it. It simply dedicates some existing tax resources specifically for the continued purchase of lands that we need to buy, and conservation easements we need to have for the future of Florida and to clean up our waterways, our lakes, our rivers, our springs. Its very important to do that. The mandate would not set a specific dollar amount. Instead it would set aside 33 percent of a years revenue from document stamp taxes on real estate transactions. For example, if the state took in $1 million in doc stamp taxes, 33 percent or just over $333,000 would go to the fund. If the state took in $600,000, that number would drop to $200,000. But there is concern that legislating any budget item by constitutional mandate is a dangerous precedent to set. We dont need to legislate by constitutional mandate, said David Hart, with the Florida Chamber of Commerce. However, we all love Floridas special unique environment, and we should urge our legislators to fund these programs through the normal budget process.
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 17:48:14 +0000
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