This week marked the second round of legislative committee meetings and turned out to be an excellent time to do a little bit of myth busting.

Many legislators seem to have their own idea whatAmendment 1 does and how the environmental community wants that money to be spent. So imagine the satisfaction of explaining to a legislator that the intent is not to simply spend $700 million on buying conservation lands. Once the understanding is there that the sponsors of Amendment 1 have agreed on recommended first year funding that includes paying debt service on bonds (Everglades & Florida Forever), funding Everglades Restoration, Florida Forever, Springs protection, Land Management, etc. those member meetings suddenly become much more productive. You too can help clarify the many good opportunities for allocating  Amendment 1 funds when you send in your comments to the Senate Environmental Preservation & Conservation committee.

Jon Steverson, the newly appointed Secretary for theDepartment of Environmental Protection, spoke at Thursday’s House Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee meeting and led off with a statement that “Florida’s natural resources drive our quality of life and in turn, our economy.” He has a keen focus on land management and wants to be sure “we do the best we can with what we’ve got.” This philosophy was echoed byNick Wiley, the Executive Director of the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), who also made a presentation and referenced the importance of maintaining wildlife management areas.

This spotlight is very much in keeping with the recommendations that the Amendment 1 Coalition has put forward. It’s not just about buying new land, although there are still good cases to be made, but we should also work on improving the management of  land the state already owns and makes available for public use, whether it is a state park, a coastal area, an urban green space where people can go, etc… Our state lands deserve special attention.

Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam also spoke to several committees this week about the importance of water and urged legislators to “be bold and ambitious” in the development of an overarching statewide strategy that balances the needs of springs, Everglades (including Lake Okeechobee), and the Central Florida Water Initiative. He stressed that more should be done to buy conservation easements and that we should “take care of what we buy.”  The Commissioner also acknowledged the need for some additional conservation land purchases and stressed the need for action in the Northern Everglades.

Comissioner Putnam is emerging as a leader among statewide elected officials on water and land conservation issues. You can view a report on Commissioner Putnam’s remarks to the committee by clicking here.

All of these discussions are a very good start and add to the hope that all parties can come together to make sound choices regarding Amendment 1 implementation. Make sure your voice is heard as you comment to the Senate and be ready for updates starting February 2 when committee meetings resume in anticipation of Opening Day of the 2015 session on March 3, 2015.