We need your help!
Last week, we asked our members to email Governor DeSantis, urging him
to veto three harmful bills. Over 2,000 springs
advocacy emails were sent to the Governor – thank you! If you already filled out our form about these bills, this may look familiar to you.
BUT, if you haven’t already sent the Governor an email about these bills, don’t worry, it’s not too late. We’ve made it easy to send a pre-written email to Governor DeSantis.
Already sent your emails? Forward this to a friend! We need everyone’s help to urge Governor DeSantis to VETO three particularly bad environmental bills that came out of this legislative session.
The 2023 Florida Legislative Session is over,
and it was a wild one.
FSC tracked more than thirty bills that have the potential to impact Florida’s springs. There are three bills particularly harmful to our environment that have passed the legislature and, unless vetoed, will become law with the governor’s signature:
- HB 1191 would allow phosphogypsum, radioactive waste from the phosphate industry, to be used in road projects in Florida. Because the phosphate mining industry is running out of places to put this toxic waste, allowing its use in roads would reduce the cost of phosphate production, ultimately leading to more mining in sensitive areas of Florida, putting people and our environment at risk.
- SB 718 is a massive gift to developers. It prohibits any local initiatives or referendums on land development regulations. Initiatives and referendums allow local citizens to vote on local land use decisions. They are often used to pass regulations that protect important local environmental treasures like springs, caves, and sinkholes. The Legislature doesn’t believe we should have the right to protect our own communities from sprawling development, so they took away our right to vote on these issues.This provision was added at the last minute to a “must pass” bill related to annexation. The original bill was considered so ridiculous it couldn’t pass even one committee in the Senate.
- SB 540 is one of the bills that helped give this Legislative Session the name, “The Session of Sprawl.” It requires the losing party to pay attorney fees and costs for comprehensive plan amendment challenges. It would be so financially risky for individuals and nonprofit groups to bring a challenge that it essentially protects local governments and developers from legal challenges.
Governor DeSantis knows the importance of good land-use planning in protecting Florida’s environment. Earlier this year he issued an Executive Order requiring “local governments to improve local government long-term comprehensive planning that ensures sustainable growth while protecting our natural resources…”
We’ve made it easy to remind him of this and ask him to stand up for Florida’s environment and Floridian’s rights. Use our easy-to-use system with pre-written emails that will send your message asking him to veto HB 1191, SB 718 and SB 540.
| SEND YOUR EMAILS NOW |
The emails are pre-written, and our form makes it quick and easy.
Just provide a zip code, name and email address!
There are three emails to be sent; be sure to send all three!
