Three environmental groups filed a lawsuit this week -- with the state legislature as their target. The coalition claims lawmakers shortchanged environmental spending in this year's budget, going against the will of the voters.
The coalition is made up of the Florida Wildlife Federation, the St. Johns Riverkeeper and the Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida. These groups claim lawmakers put millions of dollars that should go to buying land for conservation efforts, and used it for expenses not allowed by Amendment 1.
Audubon Florida's Eric Draper spent a lot of time in Tallahassee during the special legislative session. He responds to lawmakers decision on conservation spending and the lawsuit.
Here's an edited version of our conversation with him.
Why isn't Audubon of Florida not involved in this lawsuit?
Frankly, I was shocked the lawsuit was filed even though I was part of putting the amendment on the ballot. I never [heard] from any of those organizations that they were getting ready to litigate. I learned about the lawsuit when everybody else did, in spite of the fact that my members were heavily involved in passing the amendment and I was the lead lobbyist on it this year.
Does that mean you don't support the lawsuit?
No, I think it has to be done very carefully. I'm very familiar with the agency budgets. I've been lobbying for environmental budgets for over a 20-year period. I think we have to be very careful about the way that pleading is entered into the courts to make sure we don't get an adverse ruling. I'm hopeful that the groups that did decide to go with the litigation just days after the appropriations bill was passed, and to study the appropriations bill to find those items that were objectionable that would lead to a positive court ruling.
The voters approved this. What else can they do?
We encourage voters to hold legislators accountable. There are 160 members of the Legislature. A lot of them are going to be running for re-election. If you run into one of those people, or take the time to go visit them in their office during the off-season, say, "I'm not happy with what you did with the budget this year. You may say it's the leadership's decision, but I want you as my representative to make sure that adequate funding is put into the Everglades and protecting parks and wildlife habitats and water supplies."
Is there still unity between all environmentalist groups?
I thought that we had unity before this legislative session. These three groups decided, for whatever reason, to go off on their own. I'm actually disappointed because I think that we're stronger as a conservation movement when all the groups work together.
Every year this is going to be an annual battle with lawmakers to make sure that Amendment 1 dollars are put where needed.
Even when we passed Amendment 1, we never were under the illusion that we wouldn't have to lobby the legislature to get the money. Because even under the constitution we couldn't take away the activity of appropriating money from the Legislature, someone has to make that decision on how the money is going to be spent, so we have to lobby. And the environmental community has to work together to influence those legislators who are most sympathetic to us, and take the message forward to make the right decision.
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