Please, take Action!
Don't Let Florida Legislators Tie the Hands of the FDEP When Reviewing Projects Affecting Florida's Publicly Owned Lands And Sea Grasses!
SB 2288, the companion bill to HB 989, will be heard by the Florida Senate on Monday, May 2, 2005, so time is short!
HB 989 was passed by the Florida House of Representatives today (Friday). As a result of our collective efforts, HB 989 was made somewhat better in committee, however SB 2288 is even worse than HB 989.
What You Can Do:
Please e-mail your Florida state senator as soon as possible (see contact information below) and ask him or her to "Vote NO on Senate Bill 2288" (please put this in the subject line of the e-mail). Let your senator know full permit reviews are necessary to ensure Florida's publicly owned lands are protected for all Floridians!
Please also send a copy of your e-mail to Governor Bush and ask him to veto the bill if it passes.
If you want to include more detail or get more background on the issue, see below:
Contact Information
Florida Senate Members
You can find your Florida state senator by clicking on the following
link and entering your zip code. Then, click on the link for
your Senate District number to go to your senator's home page. Once
there, scroll down to get your senator's e-mail address (see second
column): http://www.flsenate.gov/Legislators/ index.cfm?Mode=Find%20Your%20Legislators&Submenu=3&Tab=legislators
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Florida Governor Jeb Bush
jeb.bush@myflorida.com
The Issue
This bill is an unprecedented broadening of the General Permit program, authorizing general permits for public marinas and boat ramps up to 50,000 square feet (nearly the size of a football field!) of state owned submerged land without the consent of the Board of Trustees. Under the proposed bill, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) authority to review such applications will be extremely limited. As written, only water quality issues will be addressed by the DEP, and the only requirement for applicants is that a facility must obtain Clean Marina Program status "within a reasonable time." In other words, 50-slip marinas may be authorized in sensitive areas like aquatic preserves, while wildlife, including the endangered Florida manatee, and important habitat, including seagrass, will not be considered or protected! Save the Manatee Club is not opposed to improving public access to Florida's waterways, but large projects like these should undergo a full permit review and location, wildlife, and habitat must be considered and adequate protection measures must be in place!
Talking Points:
Contact your Florida state senator and Governor Bush and tell them the DEP and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission must continue to be allowed to FULLY review projects that may adversely impact Florida's publicly owned sensitive waters and wildlife! Specific to this bill, tell them:
1. They should stop SB 2288's unconstitutional attempt to usurp the Board of Trustees' (Governor and Cabinet) authority over public submerged lands. Tell them 50,000 square feet is much too large to authorize by general permit when it comes to our limited aquatic environment. Therefore, a full permit review, under all applicable statutes and rules, is not only appropriate, but is necessary to ensure wildlife, habitat, and water quality issues are all fully addressed.
2. The current bill language offers no review of whether a marina or ramp is proposed in an appropriate location (including habitat and navigation issues). Additionally they will not be allowed to consider if protection measures including speed zones, signage, and enforcement are adequate and in place. As a consequence, unprecedented damage in environmentally sensitive areas (including sea grasses) could be automatically permitted, and Florida's natural resources and public will be placed at an increased risk by lack of planning, protection, or law enforcement.
3. While you support the Clean Marina Program, it is woefully inadequate, as the single requirement, to ensure the environmental protection that could and should be required under permit authorization.
Thank you for your help!
SB 2288, the companion bill to HB 989, will be heard by the Florida Senate on Monday, May 2, 2005, so time is short!
HB 989 was passed by the Florida House of Representatives today (Friday). As a result of our collective efforts, HB 989 was made somewhat better in committee, however SB 2288 is even worse than HB 989.
What You Can Do:
Please e-mail your Florida state senator as soon as possible (see contact information below) and ask him or her to "Vote NO on Senate Bill 2288" (please put this in the subject line of the e-mail). Let your senator know full permit reviews are necessary to ensure Florida's publicly owned lands are protected for all Floridians!
Please also send a copy of your e-mail to Governor Bush and ask him to veto the bill if it passes.
If you want to include more detail or get more background on the issue, see below:
Contact Information
Florida Senate Members
You can find your Florida state senator by clicking on the following
link and entering your zip code. Then, click on the link for
your Senate District number to go to your senator's home page. Once
there, scroll down to get your senator's e-mail address (see second
column): http://www.flsenate.gov/Legislators/ index.cfm?Mode=Find%20Your%20Legislators&Submenu=3&Tab=legislators
Â
Florida Governor Jeb Bush
jeb.bush@myflorida.com
The Issue
This bill is an unprecedented broadening of the General Permit program, authorizing general permits for public marinas and boat ramps up to 50,000 square feet (nearly the size of a football field!) of state owned submerged land without the consent of the Board of Trustees. Under the proposed bill, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) authority to review such applications will be extremely limited. As written, only water quality issues will be addressed by the DEP, and the only requirement for applicants is that a facility must obtain Clean Marina Program status "within a reasonable time." In other words, 50-slip marinas may be authorized in sensitive areas like aquatic preserves, while wildlife, including the endangered Florida manatee, and important habitat, including seagrass, will not be considered or protected! Save the Manatee Club is not opposed to improving public access to Florida's waterways, but large projects like these should undergo a full permit review and location, wildlife, and habitat must be considered and adequate protection measures must be in place!
Talking Points:
Contact your Florida state senator and Governor Bush and tell them the DEP and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission must continue to be allowed to FULLY review projects that may adversely impact Florida's publicly owned sensitive waters and wildlife! Specific to this bill, tell them:
1. They should stop SB 2288's unconstitutional attempt to usurp the Board of Trustees' (Governor and Cabinet) authority over public submerged lands. Tell them 50,000 square feet is much too large to authorize by general permit when it comes to our limited aquatic environment. Therefore, a full permit review, under all applicable statutes and rules, is not only appropriate, but is necessary to ensure wildlife, habitat, and water quality issues are all fully addressed.
2. The current bill language offers no review of whether a marina or ramp is proposed in an appropriate location (including habitat and navigation issues). Additionally they will not be allowed to consider if protection measures including speed zones, signage, and enforcement are adequate and in place. As a consequence, unprecedented damage in environmentally sensitive areas (including sea grasses) could be automatically permitted, and Florida's natural resources and public will be placed at an increased risk by lack of planning, protection, or law enforcement.
3. While you support the Clean Marina Program, it is woefully inadequate, as the single requirement, to ensure the environmental protection that could and should be required under permit authorization.
Thank you for your help!