Lots of cooks in Amendment 1 conservation kitchen

TALLAHASSEE Florida environmentalists want lawmakers to steer $80 million a year into protecting Floridas springs and $150 million into buying new environmentally threatened landscapes.

But dividing $757.7 million next year between competing priorities -- such as protecting ecosystems and retiring leaky septic tanks polluting springs in Central Florida could be a months-long political fight.

The green groups including Audubon of Florida, Florida Wildlife Federation and others made their pitch to a Senate panel Wednesday that got updated and higher tallies for how much the amendment will require to be spent on conservation under the Amendment 1 mandate voters overwhelmingly passed last November.

The Senate Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee took up those questions without signaling how policymakers may prefer to divide the massive amount of dollars in play. Thanks to a recovering economy and more real estate transaction tax revenues, Senate staff said Wednesday the amendment would now devote $22.6 billion to water and conservation spending over the next two decades.

Were going to have a lot of room at the table, said Chairman Charlie Dean, R-Inverness.

At the same time, legislature leaders from Metro Orlando have already signaled they plan to pursue a comprehensive water-policy overhaul as part of implementing Amendment 1. That could require substantial new regulations over wastewater-treatment plants, farmers, septic tanks and development projects.

Were not here just to acquire land, said Senate Rules Chairman David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs. The goal of course is at the end of the day to preserve our pristine environment here.

Simmons was one of a cadre of Republicans last year that pushed a plan to do just that.

The Senate plan which died in the House would have required local governments, the Department of Environmental Protection, and water management districts identify the worst leaking septic tanks and require their replacement with the state footing the entire cost. Wastewater treatment plants would have to dramatically cut the amount of nitrogen in treated waters by 2019.

Agricultural operations would have been required to use best management practices instead of just being urged to use them. And water management districts would not be allowed to approve new permits from drawing water from springs, rivers and the aquifer if they have any negative impact on flows.

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Lots of cooks in Amendment 1 conservation kitchen