Priorities & Principles For

PRIORITIES & PRINCIPLES FOR

ALLOCATING AMENDMENT 1 FUNDS

1. Priority: Ensure management and maintenance plans under Florida’s purview are adequately funded to properly manage and maintain currently owned state lands.

Rationale: More than 5 million acres (15.7 percent) are managed by the State of Florida through several state agencies. These state agencies are not able to manage this land properly. Often left as wilderness, unmanaged and unmaintained land can become a fire hazard, vulnerable to invasive plants, and over population of wild animals. Management and maintenance plans under the State’s responsibility should be approved and made public before any new lands or easements are acquired.

1. Priority: Ensure funding is allocated to restoration and research projects that have a scientific-data basis to achieve measurably productive results, thereby demonstrating effective use of taxpayer money.

Rationale: In general, it is irresponsible for government to spend taxpayer dollars on projects that are either unnecessary or cannot be measured. Scientific research and proven data should be a foundation for the process of assessing the need and implementing environmental projects having the potential of preserving or improving the environment.

1. Priority: Ensure funding is secured for plans that will remedy government-permitted and government-owned properties and facilities whose practices are responsible for negative environmental outcomes.

Rationale: Some government owned properties and facilities have been shown to be significant sources of pollution to waters and springs. Properties and facilities for upgrading and/or retrofitting include:

1. All state-owned parks with non-polluting septic devices/nutrient filters to protect nearby springs and surface waters.
2. Storm run-off water retention areas with nutrient filtering capability.
3. Existing sewers to prevent exfiltration.
4. Waste water treatment plants and their rapid infiltration basins.

These re-fits are essential to protecting Florida’s natural resources and should precede the acquisition of any new lands, development rights, or easements agreements.

1. Priority: Focus acquisition on lands for public use.Existing wetlands should be the second priority for acquisition.

Rationale: Taxpayer money is to be used for acquisition; therefore, the first acquisitions should go for projects enhancing the use by taxpayers including public parks, beaches, trails, etc. Existing wetlands should be a second priority due to their ability to recharge water. In most cases, their use for development would be difficult anyway due to restrictive environmental regulations.

1. Priority: Fund projects with the potential to increase water retention, storageand uses that will benefit Florida’s economy.

Rationale: As Florida copes with the needs of stabilizing our water quantity and its stable distribution, attention and funding need to be focused on projects involving:

1. surface waters,
2. rain water and,
3. reclaimed water.

Ensuring stable, sufficient quantities of water for public and agricultural uses is critical to Florida’s future. Such projects can help manage the potential negative impact of flooding and help create a stable source of potable water in areas without a natural local water source.

1. Priority: Keep the public informed by ensuring the process of government decision making is kept “in the sunshine.”

Rationale: Due to the large amounts of money entrusted to the government via Amendment 1, all proposed uses of Amendment 1 funds should be prominently displayed on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) website. Specifically, the site’s homepage should include a link leading to a list of projects and scheduled public meetings in reference to Amendment 1 to keep the public informed.

Each proposed project should include a description of the proposal, the originator or author of the project, the budget and the proposed date of project initiation, as well as contractors submitting project bids. This action will help prevent:

1. The appearance and potential for wasteful spending and fraud
2. The misuse of funds (projects not meeting the intent of Amendment 1)
3. The poor use of funds (projects with no measurable benefit)
4. Infringement on private property rights.

1. Priority: Keep government leadership accountable and informed, especially in acquisitions.

Rationale: In light of the large amounts of money available to spend under Amendment 1, any specific plan for a transaction of more than $250,000 shall be reported to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate to enhance legislative oversight.

1. Priority: Do not bond Amendment One funds.

Rationale: Environmentalist have stated their intent to bond money (borrow money against projected future documentary stamp “doc stamp” revenue) in order to buy as much property and rights immediately as is possible. Unforeseen economic downturns will reduce (perhaps drastically) the amount of doc stamp money required to pay off bond investors. With a fragile national and global economy, it should be a priority to protect and maintain the stability of Florida’s future economy by resisting unnecessary actions that would increase state debt.

1. Priority: Limit environmental easementsand/or developmental rights paid for by Amendment 1 funds to 40 years.

Rationale: In order to maximize Florida’s economic future and remain flexible to meet future needs, easements (the right given to another to use or restrict use) purchased with Amendment 1 funding should be limited to 40 years. At the conclusion of the 40-year period or the sale of the property, whichever comes first, such rights can be re-negotiated.

1. Priority: Draw funding to hire new maintenance employees for conservation lands from Amendment 1 revenue.

Rationale: One of the consequences of approving Amendment One will be the need to hire additional personnel (and equipment) to manage additional conservation lands. In order not to burden the entire state budget with the costs of new hire acquisitions, salaries and benefits associated with new hire personnel and the equipment for on-going maintenance should be funded from Amendment 1 doc stamp money. New equipment purchases should also be funded from the same source.

___ I agree with these priorities and principles!

NAME ______

EMAIL ______

Return to: Dan Peterson, Executive Director

Coalition for Property Rights,

2878 S. Osceola Ave., Orlando, FL 32806