Life and politics from the Sunshine State's best city

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Bruce Ritchie - page 8

Bruce Ritchie has 127 articles published.

Tom Steyer’s NextGen Climate to target Florida, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio in 2016

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Tom Steyer, a California billionaire who spent nearly $20 million in a failed attempt to block Gov. Rick Scott’s November re-election because of his stance on climate change, plans to target battleground states including Florida during the 2016 presidential race, his political strategists said Monday. Steyer’s NextGen Climate PAC will feature sea level rise in Miami to target U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and seek to paint the Republican Party as being controlled by industrialists Charles and David Koch, said Chris Lehane, chief strategist with NextGen Climate. Lehane…

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Audubon’s Eric Draper says Legislature ‘out of sync’ with voters

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Eric Draper of Audubon Florida told a television audience during a weekend broadcast that legislators are showing they are “out of sync” with voters who supported Amendment 1. Seventy-five percent of voters in November approved the funding initiative, which provides an estimated $742 million for water and land conservation in the 2015-16 state budget. Environmental groups say the House and Senate have ignored the intent of voters in their spending plans. The House approved perhaps $10 million for land acquisition…

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Senate boost for land-buying praised while House Democrats question spending

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Environmental groups praised a Senate move on Wednesday to add $35 million in the state budget toward land acquisition but said the amount still falls short of what voters wanted. Amendment 1, approved by 75 percent of voters in November, now is estimated to provide nearly $742 million for water and land conservation programs. Environmental groups sought $170 million for the Florida Forever land-buying program and said the proposed House and Senate budgets ignored voter intent. The Senate version of…

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Senate adds $35 mil for land acquisition before passing budget

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The Senate on Wednesday passed an $80.4 billion budget after adding $35 million for land acquisition to send a message to supporters of Amendment 1. In November, 75 percent of voters approved the funding initiative, which is now estimated to provide nearly $742 million for water and land conservation programs. The proposed budget had included $2 million for the Florida Forever land-buying program plus $20 million for Kissimmee River restoration. Senators said they were flooded with calls from residents seeking more for land…

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Dry cleaning, hazardous waste sites among those falling through budget cracks, group says

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With the focus on big-spending items in the House and Senate budgets this week, some smaller but important spending issues are going unnoticed. For example, the proposed House and Senate budgets each contain $6.5 million for dry-cleaning sites and $3.5 million for cleaning up hazardous waste sites. But site cleanup professionals say more is needed. “That (funding) doesn’t help with the dilemma or potential crisis we are facing,” said Phil Leary, a lobbyist for the Florida Ground Water Association. “Its almost like they…

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With Senate budget amendments teed up, calls flood senators

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Amendment 1 supporters on Tuesday were flooding senators with calls urging them to support funding for land-buying in advance of Senate floor action on the state budget on Wednesday. In November, 75 percent of voters statewide supported the water and land conservation funding initiative that provides an estimated $741 million in the 2015-16 state budget. The proposed Senate budget provides $2 million for the Florida Forever land-buying program and another $20 million for land acquisition for Kissimmee River restoration. On…

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Fracking bills pass Senate committee with DEP support

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Bills dealing with oil and gas hydraulic fracturing in Florida passed their first Senate committee stop on Tuesday after a state environmental official said they would provide needed regulation for the industry. SB 1468 by state Sen. Garrett Richter, a Republican from Bradenton, requires the state to develop rules for permitting “high-pressure well-stimulation,” which includes hydraulic fracturing — also called fracking. SB 1582 provides for a public records exemption for fracking “trade secrets.” Paula Cobb, the Florida Department of Environmental…

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