1) SFWMD Meeting – April 9 9am
Governor Rick Scott and his appointed water managers are refusing to buy sugar land needed to restore the Everglades and protect the coasts. Tell them it’s not okay. The Governor and the Governing Board of the South Florida Water Management District are putting the profit desires of U.S. Sugar ahead of its mandate to provide clean water. Last week, actors were paid $75 to support U.S Sugar. But we’re not actors.
On Thursday, April 9, at 9 a.m. tell the South Florida Water Management District Governing Board to purchase 46,800 acres of US Sugar land, before the contractual option expires. We need to pack the room during public comment and then during Item 32, a discussion of water storage options “for information only; no action required.”
Date: Thursday, April 9, 2015
Time: 9 a.m.
What: Clean water advocates will pack the room and speak up during public comment and on item #32. We need to let them know that action IS required!
Where: SFWMD Governing Board meeting, Auditorium, 3301 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach, FL 33406
THANK YOU! I want to take this time to congratulate everyone that has called, emailed, attended and talked at meetings about conservation issues. The last ten days have proven it makes a huge difference. First in the Ag Reserve where it appears that agriculture and conservation is the chosen path rather than development. The last chapter has not been written, but PBC staff has been told to follow that course and to find ways to help make agriculture successful. ……… And then April 1, 2015 the Florida State Senate voted (they had phone calls from people everywhere in Florida) and we just received this message below:
Please continue your efforts as we post issues that need you. You make a huge difference to our environment and the future of Florida. Paton
- Your calls and emails are working. Your voice is being heard here in Tallahassee! Funding for Florida Forever in the Senate budget increased from $2 million to $15 million, and $20 million of the springs funding has been set aside for land acquisition to protect springs. While this may not feel like a huge victory, it is a significant step forward in the legislative budget process. This progress would not have happened without the amazing outpouring of activism! Many senators commented on the calls they’ve been getting. They hear you and they are listening.
- We have a long way to go and we can’t stop now. $15 million for Florida is, as Senate Minority Leader Arthenia Joyner described it, a “paltry” amount for our renowned land preservation program, Florida Forever.
- We have champions in the Senate. These senators stood up to defend the will of Florida voters and made the case for why Florida does need to protect our environmentally sensitive lands. Please give them a call or send an email to thank them – we’ll need their help as we move forward!
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