A Florida House subcommittee proposed on Tuesday how it wants to spend dollars from a constitutional mandate for environmental conservation.
But, some environmentalists say this proposal doesn’t fully line up with the amendment’s original intent.
The Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee is tasked with breaking down how to spend more than $772 million.
The committee wants to put that money toward things like land management, invasive plant control and water storage.
But, Audubon Florida’s Executive Director Eric Draper said there’s little in the proposal that explores buying land for parks and wildlife habitat.
“It’s good to see them finally recognize that land management is an important purpose that was included in Amendment One,” he said. “It’s sad though that they’re using the excuse that land is not manage well as an excuse not to allow for more parks and more wildlife habitat.”
Florida Forever, the state-run land acquisition and conservation program, will receive $191 million. But, it’s sharing that money with Everglades Restoration and Water Management District Debt Service.
Draper said details for some of these items like “Lake Okeechobee Agricultural Projects” are a mystery at this point in the session.
The Senate may bring up its proposal on how to spend Amendment One dollars on Thursday.
