Today is Senate Bill day.  SB 282 Re-enacting DCA in the statutes unanimously passed the Senate body this morning.  This bill is now on its way to the House.  Since the House doesn’t have a companion bill to SB 282, one of two things can result:  1) The bill is ignored in the House and never gets on the agenda.  This would result in the Department of Community Affairs sunsetting.  I have no idea what in actuality this would mean.  However, because of election year and Hometown Democracy on the ballot, I don’t think the House would go this route.  So, 2) The House will take it up and amend it to re-enact the DCA for just one year and kill the DCA next year.  We’ll see. 

Again, let’s enjoy a Senate good vote.  We need to keep our state growth oversight department.  Contact our four Senators and thank them:  

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Also on the Senate floor calendar on Special Order (they can amend and ask questions of the bill) is SB 550.  This will mostly likely be heard toward the end of today.  There are 24 amendments on this bill and two of them strip the language from Section 1-28 which is the exact language weakening our water supply regulations as HB 1109 Water Supply.  Language was added in Section 57 of SB 550 to state that no legislative intent was to change for water supply.  This helps our concerns, but it would be better to remove it altogether.

This many amendments mean this bill is either going forward great guns or this is a great effort to kill it.  It will be an interesting discussion.

Finally today in the Ethics and Elections Committee in the Senate SB 2288 Reapportionment bill that was heard last week got scheduled yesterday for this committee today.  This bill is being sold under the guise of “clarifying” minority protections in Amendments 5 and 6 on the ballot for redistricting.  Opponents strongly disagree with the basic premise that the amendments need clarifying.  Once again, opponents were roughed up by committee members who supported this bill.  This time, though, a few feisty opponents chastised them back.  Another hoot to watch!  The bill passed.  It will probably head to the floor of the Senate now.

Tomorrow, Friday, four House bills are on Special Order:  HB 1109 Water Supply; HB 7177 Water Bill; HB 1445 Fertilizer Ordinance Restrictions; and HB 7231 Reapportionment.  An alert to the Hillsborough County Legislative Delegation is forthcoming.

Denise Layne
Executive Director
Coalition 4 Responsible Growth, Inc.
www.c4rg.com
813-246-0485

Alert – SB 550 Environmental Protection Bill - By Senator Constantine

In the Policy and Steering Committee on Ways and Means in the Senate today at 2:15 this bill will be heard.  Although it contains a lot of good language, it also contains the same language as HB 1109 Water Supply Bill which reorganizes existing statutes into a new Section VII but only uses part of the legislative intent in the rewrite.  What is NOT in the bill is protection for the environment and the health and safety of the public.

Please email the Senators below and ask that they “remove Section 1 of the Strike-All Amendment OR oppose this bill entirely.”

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Below is the email I sent to this Senate Committee to remove Section 1 of this bill or oppose it entirely.  Feel free to use this language.  The email addresses are provided for the Senators.

Denise Layn

Senators:

Please remove Section 1 of the Strike-All Amendment OR oppose SB 550 entirely.

C4RG’s focus is on the language that is NOT in Section 1 of the bill:

• The legislative intent and policy protecting the environment and public health and safety has been removed as a stated legislative intent from this bill.
• The remaining section of the legislative intent and policy is focused on supplying water for present and future growth only.
• Two of the three pronged approach that Sen. Dockery had worked so hard to balance in 2005 is eliminated.
• Therefore, the omission of this language creates a new legislative intent and policy with regard to our water supply.
• Most assuredly, this would make it much easier for utilities, water management districts, water authorities, ie. Tampa Bay Water, and others to create and move water – and count on them choosing the least expensive source:  groundwater!
• This also makes it easier to distribute water statewide. As you know, South Florida needs the water Northwest Florida has in abundance.  Legislation has been around for years trying to accomplish this.

Thank you for your assistance.

Denise Layne
Executive Director
C4RG, Inc.
813-246-0485