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Budget Takes Center Stage in State Legislature

Public lands, regulation and policy affected by nearly $4 billion deficit

DEP Proposes to Close 53 State Parks, Give Back Three More

During this exercise last year, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) proposed to close some parks to public access to result in expense savings (this proposal was not adopted). This year, the proposal includes an unprecedented 53 state parks, which garner the least attendance and do not have camping, despite being economic engines in some of Florida’s smallest and most rural communities. Additionally, the proposal suggests that three parks—Egmont Key, Three Rivers and Forest Capital—be returned to their primary owners, whether or not those owners have the capacity to manage them for conservation and public access. Wednesday in the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Committee, members seemed concerned but not willing to simply remove these cuts from the table. One suggested these lands should be sold to put them back on county tax rolls. Another suggested enlisting cash-strapped local governments to manage them. A third suggested closing them “except on weekends.” Not only does this proposal jeopardize public access to these special places, but also it threatens their very well being. Without staff to manage them, resources will suffer from trespass, dumping, absence of prescribed fire, and exotic species will run amok. See the list of proposed park closures here. Have you visited any of these parks? Are these some of the places you would consider among Florida’s Special Places? Tell us why these sites are important to you, and share that with your legislators too. The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee and Senate General Government Appropriations Committee will be the first to consider which cuts they will accept.

Other State Lands Also Under Threat

While State Parks are some of our highest profile state lands, they are not the only ones proposed for massive reductions. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s proposals included an $8 million reduction in funding for invasive plant management, a $2 million reduction in the agency’s already whisper-thin land management budget, and the elimination of 169 wildlife law enforcement officers, just to name a few. Additional DEP reductions eliminate the Florida Springs Initiative’s Environmental Assessment and Restoration funding; eliminate eight full-time employees and OPS staff from the Division of State Lands, who oversee our public trust lands; closes six aquatic preserve offices statewide; and eliminates 17 state park police positions to name a few. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services chose not to present this week, to give its new Secretary more time to review the budget and propose reductions. More detailed accounts can be found in the committee packet, located here.

Wildlife in the Crosshairs?

With a steady anti-regulation drumbeat growing louder in the Capitol, committees this week raised concerns about wildlife protections stifling development. In the Senate General Government Appropriations Committee Wednesday, senators responded to a presentation on the Fish and Wildlife Commission’s (FWC) new imperiled species rule with probing questions about regulations surrounding black bears and gopher tortoises. In the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Committee that same day, Chairwoman Trudi Williams (R-Ft. Myers) suggested that Florida panthers no longer warranted endangered status and Representative Frank Artiles (R-Miami) asked FWC director Nick Wiley how much money the agency spends on panther protection in these tough economic times.

Florida Forever and Everglades Restoration

In the House Finance & Tax Committee, the State Division of Bond Finance presented to the committee an update on the state’s degree of indebtedness, or debt ratio, noting that recovering tax revenues have been improving the outlook. However, the state’s debt ratio is not projected to fall below the 7% threshold set by legislators until after 2012.

Many legislators flag debt as their objection to using a fixed-rate loan program like bonding to acquire more land. The presentation by the State Division of Bond Finance clearly articulated that environmental programs are only a small portion of our state debt - 56% of Florida’s debt is from education bonding, another 27% from transportation. Environmental bonding, which includes land acquisition, is only 10% of the state’s indebtedness…and a good bet given the tendency for land prices to rise over the long-term.

In today’s economy, some remarkable land bargains are available to the state. If only the Legislature can find a way to appropriate continuation funding needed by both Florida Forever and Everglades Restoration, like they did in 2010.

Senate Ponders Rolling Back Septic Tank Rules

On Wednesday, the Senate Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee considered a draft bill to reverse the mandatory septic tank inspection and replacement program put into effect last year. The original law has drawn angry criticism from septic tank owners who don’t want to pay for inspections and pump outs.  Many legislators have taken their side. A compromise is likely that focuses on inspections only in basins with already polluted waterways. According to the Department of Health, there are more than 2.6 million septic systems in Florida but less than 1 percent -- about 17,000 -- are being inspected and serviced by licensed maintenance professionals. In most cases, septic systems are only checked or serviced when residents notice they have failed. The lifespan of a system is 20-30 years; more than half of the state's septic systems are at least 30 years old. For more on this issue, read coverage by the St. Petersburg Times.

House Water Committee Takes Testimony on Water Supply

Thursday, the new House Select Committee on Water Resources started down the potentially controversial path of considering changes to state water policy. Audubon of Florida Executive Director Eric Draper was invited to sit on the Committee’s panel of experts on the topic of water quantity. He told Legislators that Florida’s water laws are the best in the nation from the point of view of protecting the environment, and that water supplies could be restored by rehydrating wetlands and aquifers. Read Audubon's written comments to the committee chair here.

The Committee will consider water quality issues at its next meeting (two weeks from today) and conduct public hearings over the summer. Audubon will work to enlist our members and allies in improving water policy for the benefit of the environment. Be sure to check the Audubon of Florida News Blog often for the latest on our state's water policy.