Life and politics from the Sunshine State's best city

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Bruce Ritchie - page 11

Bruce Ritchie has 127 articles published.

Arthenia Joyner filing budget amendment to boost land-buying

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State Sen. Arthenia Joyner of Tampa, the Senate Democratic leader, is filing a budget amendment to redirect $80 million toward the Florida Forever land-buying program and away from other purposes she said are not consistent with Amendment 1. Approved by 75 percent of voters in November, Amendment 1 is supposed to direct $742 million toward water and land conservation programs in the 2015-16 state budget. The Senate budget bill filed Friday provides $2 million for Florida Forever along with $20…

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Rick Scott proclaims Panther Day, support for environment

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Gov. Rick Scott on Friday wanted you to know that he likes Florida panthers and likes the environment ā€” to the tune of $3 billion for environmental spending requested in fiscal year 2015-16. With the House and Senate this week having delivered blows to the hopes of Amendment 1 land-buying supporters, Scott proclaimed Saturday to be Florida Panther Day. His office and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection also promoted his request of $150 million for land management and acquisition.…

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Group hopes petitions will expose whether ‘climate change’ gag order existed

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A public records request or an investigation by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection should reveal whether a policy banning use of terms related to climate change exists, climate activists said Friday. A Florida Center for Investigative Journalism earlier this month reported there was an unwritten policy at DEP banning terms such as ā€œclimate changeā€ and ā€œsea level rise.ā€ Gov. Rick Scott and DEP have denied there was such a policy. On Friday, about 10 college students protesting with duct…

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DEP’s Jon Steverson wants to cut down more trees and do it faster

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Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Jon Steverson told a Senate panel this week he wants to cut and sell more trees from state parks ā€” and do it faster. Citing other states that have increased revenue from timber sales on state land, Steverson told senators he is working to make Floridaā€™s state parks financially self-sustaining. ā€œI want to do it better, I want to do it faster, I want to do it as quickly as I possibly can,ā€ he…

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St. Augustine and Panama City — the nation’s top college towns?

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Tallahassee failed to make a ranking of the top 50 college towns but Panama City did? And St. Augustine was rank No. 1? Bogus. A web site called Collegeranker.com posted the ranking this week. Iā€™m immediately attracted to any ranking of college towns. After working as a news reporter in non-college town Montgomery, Ala., for four years, moving to Gainesville in 1988 was rejuvenating. And then I spent 10 months in Boulder, Colo., in 1997 on an environmental journalism fellowship…

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Climate activists to present records request, petitions to Gov. Scott

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Climate change activists say they will submit a public records request and petition to Gov. Rick Scott on Friday following reports that state workers were told not to discuss climate change. The Florida Center for Investigative Reporting earlier this month reported that there was an unwritten policy at Florida Department of Environmental Protection banning workers from discussing climate change and global warming. Scott and a FloridaĀ Department of Environmental ProtectionĀ spokeswoman denied there was such a policy. On Friday, Florida State University…

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Environmental groups criticize ‘hostility’ in Senate Amendment 1 spending proposal

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Environmental groups supporting Amendment 1 on Thursday criticized a Senate chairmanā€™s spending proposal that provides $22 million for land acquisition. Amendment 1, approved by 75 percent of voters in November, provides an estimated $741.8 million in fiscal 2015-16 for water and land conservation programs. Sen. Alan Hays, chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government, on Thursday released a spending proposal that provides $20 million for Kissimmee River restoration land buying and $2 million for the Florida Forever land acquisition…

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