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Amendment 1 - page 5

Senate passes education, water bills

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The sausage-making began in earnest Wednesday morning, as the Florida Senate teed up nine bills for final approval and passed a sweeping $95 million educational policy bill and a water protection measure desired by House Speaker Steve Crisafulli. The education bill (SB 672) was sponsored by GOP state Sen. Don Gaetz of Niceville, a former schools superintendent. Among other things, it expands scholarships for students with disabilities and awards public and charter schools $10 per K-8 student if they adopt a dress code or require…

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Jeff Brandes files bill creating state flood mitigation program

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State Sen. Jeff Brandes is looking to help Florida communities address the effects of coastal flooding. On Tuesday, the St. Petersburg Republican filed SB 584, a bill to create a statewide flood mitigation and assistance program, providing up to $50 million per year in matching grant funds. The money would help reduce the risk and severity of coastal flooding. Part of the program includes a plan for land acquisition and preservation. The proposal will also extend the expiration of de-regulated…

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Today on Context Florida: Scott’s record of shame, Windows 10, hurricane gerrymandering and Lake Point

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Today on Context Florida: Diane Roberts tallies up Rick Scott’s scorecard of shame when it comes to the environment. Her personal favorite is the $174,078,574 in designated Amendment 1 money for salaries and overhead in the Department of Agriculture, DEP, FWC and the Department of State. The state is supposed to be paying salaries and insurance anyway, Roberts says, while pointing out that subsidizing the Department of Agriculture in its aiding and abetting of big polluters is just moronic. And contrary…

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State officials say Everglades water policy, BMP regime are working

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The South Florida Water Management District was joined by Republican elected officials Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and state Rep. Matt Caldwell this week in saying tighter restrictions on agriculture in the Everglades Agricultural Area are unnecessary because best management practices, or BMPs, are working. Levels of harmful phosphorous — a product of agricultural runoff into the ecologically sensitive area — are down 79 percent according to recently released state data. “For a milestone 20th year, water flowing from farmlands in the Everglades Agricultural Area achieved phosphorus reductions that…

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Amendment 1 sponsors reorganize, launch anew as Florida Conservation Voters

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The group originally founded to advance 2014’s landmark Amendment 1, Florida’s Water and Land Legacy, has rebranded itself as a new political committee called Florida Conservation Voters. Key to the nonprofit group’s new formal arrangement is its designation as a 501(c)(4), like most major issue advocacy groups like the National Rifle Association or Audubon Society. That means the group will be able to donate to candidates for state, federal and local office, which executive director Aliki Moncrief says is exactly what they will do.…

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Gov. Scott vetoes water projects, firefighter pay increases

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Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday vetoed more than $87 million in environmental spending including $27.3 million for suspect “dispersed” water projects. Scott vetoed $461.3 million in spending from a budget of more than $78 billion. While highlighting tax cuts and spending to bring more jobs to Florida, the governor said the 2015-16 state budget provides for springs protection, Everglades restoration and land acquisition. “We are doing the right thing for our environment,” Scott said. He also vetoed more than $29…

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As Rick Scott travels to Paris, lawmakers inch closer to final budget

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Gov. Rick Scott traveled to Paris on Friday aiming to bring back to his home state economic development projects. But while Scott is away House and Senate budget negotiators have reached a deal to give the governor considerably less money than he wanted for business recruitment. Sen. Tom Lee and Rep. Richard Corcoran on Saturday agreed to the transportation and economic development portion of the budget. Despite a fervent push from Enterprise Florida officials, the final deal calls for setting…

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