Water management districts occasionally purchase environmentally lands and do a few good projects, but they carefully protect polluters and water abusers, and they allow our springs and rivers to die.
Read the complete article here in the Orlando Sentinel.
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum
Supporters say the proposals would boost transparency and help districts focus on ‘core’ mission
TALLAHASSEE — A Florida Senate committee Tuesday will consider a plan that would make wide-ranging changes in the state’s water management districts, with backers saying the proposals would boost transparency and help the districts focus on their “core” mission.
The Senate on Friday released details of the plan (SPB 7002), which will be spearheaded by Sen. Jason Brodeur, a Sanford Republican who is a top lieutenant of Senate President Ben Albritton. While the bill would make changes to the five water management districts, it also deals heavily with Everglades restoration.
Brodeur said in a prepared statement that water management districts were founded to manage stormwater and flood-control efforts but have taken on other issues.
“Over the years, local, state, and federal focus increased resources for environmental restoration and in particular, Everglades restoration,” Brodeur said. “In some cases, that emphasis has unfortunately manifested itself as mission creep, and left too many core operations at risk of failure.
Brodeur said the goal of the bill is to “affirm our state’s unwavering commitment to Everglades restoration, and to support our water management districts as they focus on their original core mission.” The Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee will take up the plan Tuesday….
- The bill would allow districts to hold referendums on levying separate property taxes for projects related to such things as water supply, water quality and flood protection. The Senate overview said the referendum proposal would give taxpayers a “stronger voice to decide whether or not to increase their taxes to finance the construction of capital improvement projects.”
- The bill would require detailed information to be included in districts’ preliminary budgets about planned projects. Among the required details would be estimated beginning and ending dates of projects; breakdowns of the sources of funding; and expenditures that have been made. The South Florida Water Management District also would be required to provide detailed information in its preliminary budget about projects within what is known as the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.
- The bill would expand the authority of the Joint Legislative Budget Commission, which is made up of House and Senate members, to reject parts of district budget proposals. That would include the legislative panel being able to reject individual projects in districts’ five-year capital improvement plans.
- The bill would create a revolving loan fund for districts to help pay for flooding and sea-level rise resiliency projects. Initial money for the fund would come from a gambling deal with the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
- The bill would provide about $750 million for Everglades restoration projects.
