Despite mandate to boost environmental spending, some programs didn't benefit. ISADORA RANGEL/TCPALM.COM Wochit
When then-Gov. Jeb Bush — a self-described "head-banging conservative" — signed into law a program to buy conservation land, he called it "the most significant" legislation passed in 1999.
In recent years, however, it's been hard to convince our Republican-led Legislature of the value of Florida Forever, which buys land for trails, wildlife corridors and parks. The attitude toward the program has changed as conservatism has shifted to the philosophy that most government spending is bad no matter what.
The fact more than 75 percent of voters approved in 2014 the Water and Land Conservation constitutional amendment has done little to persuade most lawmakers of the importance of land conservation. As if in an act of defiance against voters' decision, they defunded Florida Forever in the 2017 legislative session after providing meager funding for it in previous years.
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Amendment 1 set aside one-third of documentary stamp tax revenue to buy, manage and improve conservation lands and water resources for 20 years.
I covered the first three years of the implementation of Amendment 1 as a reporter. A few legislators, such as Brevard County GOP Rep. Thad Altman, filed unsuccessful measures to increase funding for Florida Forever. But the program doesn't have influential champions as is the case with Everglades restoration, which has received an infusion of cash thanks to Florida Senate President Joe Negron.
There is a glimmer of hope in the 2018 session that starts in Jan. 9. A bill filed by the influential Republican Senate budget Chairman Rob Bradley would dedicate $100 million each year to the Florida Forever Trust Fund. A similar bill was filed late last session but didn't gain traction.
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Senate Bill 370 cleared two committees unanimously and has one more stop before it can be heard on the Senate floor. But the bill doesn't have a House version, which signals little interest from the lower chamber. Some legislative leaders have also warned Hurricane Irma-related costs could take up a large part of the budget, leaving less for other programs.
Lawmakers have dipped into the trust fund created by Amendment 1 to pay for routine operating expanses of environmental agencies. That prompted a pending lawsuit environmental groups filed in 2015 accusing the Legislature of violating the constitutional amendment.
That's not to say Amendment 1 hasn't had success stories. Negron pushed for a 2016 law that dedicated up to $200 million in amendment proceeds to Everglades restoration, up to $50 million for springs and up to $5 million for Lake Apopka. A bill filed ahead of the 2018 session by Brevard County Sen. Debbie Mayfield would allocate up to $50 million anually to the Indian River Lagoon.
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While there's large consensus in the Legislature that the Everglades, springs and the lagoon need more funding, there are many who oppose more money to buy conservation land because they believe Florida already owns too much of it. The thought of the state owning and managing more land makes many conservatives cringe.
That's a dramatic shift from the early years of Florida Forever. From its inception in 2001 lawmakers approved roughly $300 million annually until zeroing out dollars for it in 2009 because of the Great Recession. Under Gov. Rick Scott, elected in 2010 on a tea party, small-government platform, funding for the program hasn't recovered even though the state's real estate market has bounced back.
Unlike water pollution, land conservation is not an emergency that lawmakers feel pressured to address. It prevents future crises but it doesn't draw passionate pleas from voters as algae blooms and fish kills do.
Only when our pristine landscapes give way to the next strip malls and cookie-cutter housing developments will we understand the need for land conservation.
Isadora Rangel is FLORIDA TODAY's public affairs and engagement editor and a member of the Editorial Board. Her columns reflect her opinion. Readers may reach her at irangel@floridatoday.com, by phone at 321-242-3631 or via Facebook at /IsadoraRangelReporter.