Qu’elle surprise! We’ve found another last-minute legislative attack on Florida’s environment, growth management
May 18, 2009 at 11:37 am by Kelly Cornelius
Bill sponsor J.D. Alexander
By Kelly Cornelius
PoHo contributor & R-LAND activist
Who in the Florida Legislature voted to make water use approval easier to get and take away wetlands permitting from local officials by giving it to a five member statewide board while also eliminating any power from the public by having closed meetings? Why, everyone, that is who.
Everyone casting a vote in the House and Senate was in support of this (unless there are changed votes I haven’t learned about yet!) After reading this article in the Times I couldn’t believe anyone would vote for this. Maybe because the bill’s benign description doesn’t show the amendment but that is found further down the page. It looks like the amendment is where the devil resides in this bill. So to give our good legislators the benefit of the doubt, maybe they just didn’t know what they were doing (or maybe they had all slipped out and one overzealous member voted their buttons for them you never know.)
Who sponsored the bill? Why Sen. J.D. “What conflict of interest?” Alexander, but according to this article, it was sparked by talk from former House Speaker-turned-criminal-defendant Ray oh, that conflict of interest Sansom.
Citizens and environmental groups are urging the Gov to veto it and you can, too. I wonder if Dr. Garrity, Hillsborough’s EPC Director is on this? I wonder if our Board of County Commissioners will step up and protect our wetlands and our water?
