Announcement


Subject: Please help us with these bills in the Legislature!!!

Your help is needed immediately to stop this attack on the rights of cities and counties.   Speak up for our community rights. Protect them from this attempt to strip them of the ability to enact common sense landscape maintenance ordinances.   Oppose the attached proposed Fertilizer Preemption amendment to HB 1197 which will be heard today in the House Policy and Budget Council at 1pm.

Cut & paste the following message voicing your opposition to this effort & email it to the sponsor of the amendment (Rep. Bryan Nelson) as well as the Members of the House Policy and Budget Council:

bryan.nelson@myfloridahouse.gov

or call his office at (850) 488-2023 

House Policy and Budget Council PH (850) 488-1601:

Sansom, Ray (R) Chair                          ray.sansom@myfloridahouse.gov

Mayfield, Stan (R)Vice Chair                stan.mayfield@myfloridahouse.gov

Seiler, John P. (D) Ranking Member     jack.seiler@myfloridahouse.gov

 
Click on the link below to contact member of the House Policy and Budget Council from your region

http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/sections/Committees/committeesdetail.aspx?SessionId=54&CommitteeId=2358
 

Please cut and paste the message below:

 
As the end of the 2007 legislative session draws near, I urge you to protect the public interest in clean water and oppose a proposed fertilizer preemption amendment, introduced by Rep. Bryan Nelson, to HB 1197 that seeks to strip cities and counties of their basic rights to maintain and improve water quality standards.

During the past year, cities and counties from different parts of Florida have dedicated considerable time and resources to develop common sense science based fertilizer policies that address their regional water quality concerns.  Now in the final weeks of the legislative session, the Florida Fertilizer and Agrichemical Association has come forward with a misguided proposal to restrict the ability of cities and counties to engage in this type of constructive dialogue.  

This issue is of critical concern in the state of Florida, as according to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the purchase and sale of fertilizers for residential use increased by 153,533.95 tons or 45% from 2003 to 2006. 

This massive increase in the use of fertilizer on urban and suburban landscapes represents a serious threat to water quality in our state. While there are many sources of water pollution, mounting evidence points to nitrogen and phosphorus in fertilizer runoff as major contributors to the degradation of our water quality. 

Any “one size fits all” policy for fertilizer management does not fit a state as large and diverse as Florida.  It is in the public interest to craft and implement targeted local policies that respond to specific water quality concerns in each community. I view the proposed amendment being sought by the Florida Fertilizer and Agrichemical Association as a threat to both the efficacy of Florida’s government and to the long term health of our invaluable water resources.  Please oppose this ill-conceived last minute attempt and do not permit this proposed amendment to be attached to any piece of legislation.

Also please click on the links below to contact your legislators in the Florida House and Senate and voice your concerns to them as well.

Florida Senate:

http://www.flsenate.gov/Legislators/index.cfm?Tab=legislators&CFID=34764277&CFTOKEN=90976947

Florida House

http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/sections/Representatives/representatives.aspx

  http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070420/NEWS/704200488

 
ACTION NEEDED! A Senate Transportation Bill, SB 2804, has new provisions that would pave the way for a series of major new toll roads, known collectively as the "Heartland Turnpike," in Central Florida. SB 2804 eliminates current requirements that proposed new turnpike segments prove "financial feasibility." When this proposed new "Heartland Turnpike" was analysed in February under the existing "financial feasibility" requirements, most of the Heartland routes did NOT meet this test. The bill also authorizes $9 BILLION in Turnpike Enterprise bonds to build new roads! This comes during the same Legislative Session that the Legislature so far is unwilling to follow Governor Crist's recommendation to add an additional $100 million to Forever Florida to raise the environmental land purchase program from $300 to $400 million. Please contact ALL members of the Senate Transportation and Economic Development Appropriations Committee. Ask them to: (1) remove the damaging amendments to SB 2804 which eliminates existing financial feasibility requirements for turnpike segments; (2) remove the authorization for $9 billion in Turnpike Enterprise bonds to build new roads and (3) propose an amendment to immediately dismantle and defund the Northwest Florida Transportation Corridor Authority as its sole purpose appears to be to create new roads through many environmentally sensitive areas to benefit major developers and landowners, such as the St. Joe Company.
 
Members of this committee are:
Senator Mike Fasano (R-New Port Richey) -- (727) 848-5885, (800) 948-5885, or (850) 487-5062

 

 

ACTION NEEDED! CS/SB 1928 is the main Senate Transportation Bill. On April 18, a very damaging amendment was added which allows for the creation of concurrency management districts where backlogged facilities exist, and creates a taxing district which funds transportation improvement projects in exchange for getting concurrency approvals. The bill does not properly address how these authorities would be formed and staffed, how the transportation construction plans would be approved, and how all of this would relate to the local comprehensive plan. Additionally, of particular concern is (1) there will be no DCA review of this process; and, (2) landowners within the district would be exempted from any  sharing requirements. Please call or email your Senator to remove the April 18 amendment to SB 1928 which allows for the creation of concurrency management districts where backlogged facilities exist.