On March 11, 2016, Florida legislators sent a message to voters that they are committed to funding the state’s ailing Everglades ecosystem and polluted springs and passed legislation that will carve out at least $250 million a year for those purposes for the next 20 years.
The bill, known as the Legacy Florida Act, builds on Amendment 1 which voters approved by a 75 percent margin in 2014, by earmarking a portion of that money to be spent on the state’s most fragile ecosystems.
“This is an historic commitment by the Florida Legislature,” said Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, sponsor of the bill.
The Legacy Florida Act, (HB 989/SB 1168) proposed by incoming Senate president Negron and Rep. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, requires the state to set aside at 25 percent of all Amendment 1 funds up to $200 million a year to fund Everglades restoration projects over the next 20 years, whichever is less, and $50 million to pay for springs restoration.
Photo of Everglades lubber grasshoppers by Storm Cunningham.