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.”

Policy and Steering Committee on Ways and Means: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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

HB 1445:WE STRONGLY OBJECT AND OPPOSE THIS BILL!

• Numerous roadblocks are being put in place to stifle local governments from enacting stricter fertilizer ordinances
• Prohibits a local government from enacting a stricter fertilizer ordinance than the state model produced last year based on the University of Florida’s study.
  • This study was paid for by the landscaping industry and its purpose was to determine how much fertilizer was needed on a lawn.  This was NOT a study on how the fertilizer affected our environment, especially runoff
  • At best, this is a weak model and does little to start reducing our nitrate pollution into our waterways

• It will add to the pollution, which the EPA has demanded be reduced in our waters under the Clean Water Act
  • The result is paying more later (with tax dollars, of course) for the cleanup of our waters
• If a local government wants to enact a stronger ordinance than they have to put together a “comprehensive program” and convene a workgroup comprised of a local government rep, landscaping industry, fertilizer retailers and applicators, Dept. of Ag, Dept. of Environmental Protection and University of Florida members.
  • There are NO citizen representatives in this workgroup
  • The local government has to provide scientific studies on why the additional restrictions on fertilizer is necessary – a very expensive endeavor
  • If at least two of the entities that created the weak model ordinance “question” the scientific basis of needing stricter guidelines, the local government must address those “questions” before they adopt the standards to the maximum extent possible. (What does this mean?
• The scientific studies performed around the state do NOT collaborate with the University of Florida’s “study”.  Other scientific studies centered around fertilizer’s affect on our water bodies.  The U of F study was centered around how much fertilizer is needed for a lawn.
• No citizens have complained about the fertilizer ordinances on their lawns – it is strictly the landscapers and fertilizer retailers, ie., Home Depot, and appliers, ie. True Green Lawncare Services, which are objecting

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

You May Contact Council Members at the Following Addresses

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SB 382 passed the Community Affairs Committee yesterday unanimously.  Even though Senator Storms asked one question, she still voted yes on this bill that limits local control of fertilizer use.  This bill is scheduled for the Health Regulation Committee of the Senate on Monday if it is received in time.  Another alert is coming…

HB 7177 started out yesterday as a water conservation bill, but then Representative Trudi Williams hit the General Government Policy Council with another water bomb.  She filed a “strike-all” amendment that deletes the language in the original bill (6 pages) with new language (22 pages) that no one had seen prior to the council meeting.  I just tried to go online and it STILL isn’t there!

This new version apparently not only includes bad language for water conservation, but consumptive use permits, and the biggest problem – wetland mitigation banking.  However, the only opponents to this bill was the water management districts and Audubon.  The cities and counties like it.  The entire council voted for it.

Because this was the bill’s last stop, it is now heading to the House floor.  This is democracy???????

Also, Rep. Williams stand alone consumptive use bill HB 7175 passed this council.  It too is heading for the House floor.

So far we have 4 bills heading to the House floor – HB 1109, HB 1445, HB 7175 and HB 7177.  Please keep our Legislative Delegation email addresses for the House and feel free to email them daily on these bills.  OUR DELEGATION NEEDS TO OPPOSE ALL 4 OF THESE BILLS!

The House has session this afternoon, and the only bill on the agenda for the floor today is HB 1109.  We’ll see if it moves.

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