For Immediate Release: May 26, 2011
Contact: Charles Lee, Director of Advocacy, office-352-568-3432, cell-407-620-5178, clee@audubon.org
Jonathan Webber, Conservation Campaign Manager, 850-222-2473, jwebber@audubon.org
Download PDF: http://ow.ly/53Uxf
Governor Scott Gambles with Florida’s Environment
Audubon disappointed with a state budget devoid of solutions
Tallahassee, FL - Today, Governor Scott signed into law SB 2000, the most anti-environment budget this state has ever seen. After a historically bad legislative session that showed complete disregard for the critical environmental issues that face Florida, the Governor has decided to sign this disastrous budget.
“I can only hope that Florida’s imperiled wildlife, polluted waterways and vanishing special places can hold-off another year without complete ruin,” said Charles Lee, Audubon of Florida Director of Advocacy, adding, “Florida’s magnificent natural resources and diversity of life have lured families and visitors here for centuries. This budget threatens our distinctly Floridian way of life.”
Specific provisions of the budget drastically reduce funding for Everglades restoration and jeopardize the future of Florida’s clean and abundant water resources. Further, Governor Scott has ignored the recommendations of his own agencies and citizens concerned with protecting Florida’s natural resources and vetoed a potential $300 million to be raised from surplus land sales for Florida Forever (turning state parking lots into greenspace) and $500k for an essential water quality study in the Kissimmee/Okeechobee watershed that is necessary to help save Lake Okeechobee.
Additionally, by signing SB 2142, Governor Scott has ceded control of the budgets of Florida’s five water management districts to the state legislature. SB 2142 deals a particularly strong blow to Everglades restoration. With 30% budget cuts to the South Florida Water Management District, the future of Everglades restoration, water quality and water storage projects are jeopardized. SB 2142 also places water management districts in legal jeopardy of losing their ad valorem tax capacity entirely and will allow lobbyists for polluters to meddle with each water management district budget on an annual basis.
South Florida is in the midst of a severe and dangerous drought. Arbitrary cuts that kill jobs and stall crucial programs to protect water resources do nothing to alleviate Florida’s current water shortage woes.
