Amendment 1 (Florida Water and Land Conservation Amendment)

[Misty]

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/article2260991.html

My only issue with this is...why it needs to be a constitutional amendment? Our government should be the absolute first to step to the plate to save endangered land/water.

Doesn't Florida's "Florida Forever Act" sorta make this amendment redundant or am I misunderstanding the intent of the Florida Forever Act?

I agree we need to protect endangered species, land/ water but can't we do it with less government not more??

 

[Matt J]

The point of making it an amendment is so that the legislature can't just do an end run when a developer waives a pile of cash at them.

 

[DaleDalbey]

The point of making it an amendment is so that the legislature can't just do an end run when a developer waives a pile of cash at them.

how cynical you are. Let's pray all politicians are not Walton County politicians

 

[Matt J]

how cynical you are. Let's pray all politicians are not Walton County politicians

I'm not cynical, I'm real. In case you hadn't noticed the legislature and governor have all but ended any kind of environmental protections in this state over the last 4+ years. As someone who first voted for Bob Graham I've seen some horrible governors in this state, but Scott takes the cake.

Oh and for the record, there's not much difference between our politicians and the ones in Tallahassee, in fact many of them started here.

 

[Andy A]

Local, you and I will cancel out each other's vote. I couldn't disagree with you more on your political assessment.

 

[Matt J]

Local, you and I will cancel out each other's vote. I couldn't disagree with you more on your political assessment.

Assuming you're alive come November 4th. You might be ancient, but I've been a Florida resident longer than you. Scott would have been happy to turn the first shovel on the Topsail walkover if it hadn't been stopped at the local level.

 

[Misty]

The point of making it an amendment is so that the legislature can't just do an end run when a developer waives a pile of cash at them.

I asked...

Doesn't Florida's "Florida Forever Act" sorta make this amendment redundant or am I misunderstanding the intent of the Florida Forever Act?

 

[NotDeadYet]

Misty you are not misunderstanding the intent of Florida Forever. But the problem is that the funds keep getting taken out and used for other purposes. And I don't see how we can do it with less government. Private philanthropy is not enough. There needs to be a guaranteed pool of money to purchase valuable conservation parcels before they are all gone.

 

[Misty]

Misty you are not misunderstanding the intent of Florida Forever. But the problem is that the funds keep getting taken out and used for other purposes. And I don't see how we can do it with less government. Private philanthropy is not enough. There needs to be a guaranteed pool of money to purchase valuable conservation parcels before they are all gone.

How about we just get rid of the current Governor who ravaged the funds?

 

[beachmouse]

IIRC, something like 95% of the funds that used to go to Florida Forever have been diverted to other projects under the Scott administration, and he's also tried to sell off 'surplus conservation lands' that most people thought were anything but surplus.