Folks - Please note that there are two pending bills in the ongoing Legislative Session that will redraw the sovereignty submerged land line down the hill and thereby give adjacent private landowners the public land hunters and others presently use. This effort will especially impact hunters, freshwater anglers and all who used our public water (canoeists, kayakers, etc.).
The bills are
Senate Bill 1362 and companion House Bill 1103. I have testified against the House bill as to the constitutional problems involved and the fact that hunters and others will be subject to felony arrest for going where they have been for many years. We are making headway, but
we need help. Kindly consider contacting Sen. Alan Hays (sponsor of SB 1362) and the next Senate committee stop for the bill (Environmental Preservation and Conservation) members:
Chair Charlie Dean, dean.charles.web@flsenate.gov
Vice-Chair Steve Oelrich, oelrich.steve.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Nan Rich, rich.nan.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Eleanor Sobel, sobel.eleanor.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Dennis Jones, jones.dennis.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Nancy Detert, detert.nancy.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Jack Latvala, latvala.jack.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Alan Hays, hays.alan.web@flsenate.gov
and ask them to please oppose this very misguided bill (SB 1362). Note some of these Senators have already voiced concerns over the bill.
If you wish to contact the House sponsor (HB 1103), it is Rep. Tom Goodson.
Below is a blurb on what the bills do.
Thanks very much.
Preston Robertson
Florida Wildlife Federation
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What do proposed House Bill 1103 and Senate Bill 1362 do?
The Florida Legislature came into Session on January 10, 2012. They will be in session, and able to change our laws, until March 9.
Two legislators have proposed bills that deal with the definition of the Ordinary High Water Line for non-tidal, freshwater rivers and lakes. This is the line that separates public lands (known as
sovereignty submerged lands) and private adjacent lands. The public has the right to fish, boat, hunt and other wise enjoy the waters below the Ordinary High Water Line.
The water level of rivers and lakes changes throughout the year. Florida law now states that sovereign submerged lands go up to the Ordinary High Water line. This is defined as the highest normal reach of water up the bank in the high water season. Unfortunately, the two bills in issue would change this definition and lower this boundary. This will happen because the bill’s new definition places the “high water mark” at the water level when the water body is in an “ordinary” condition. “Ordinary condition” is not high water. It is a lower level that exists most of the year. Additionally, the bills also seem to allow the creation of private land from sovereignty submerged lands if a person can grow a garden or other crops on it when the water is low.
Passage of these bills would mean the shrinkage of sovereignty submerged lands and thereby diminish public lands and waters that are presently used by Florida’s millions of resident anglers and boaters, hunters and by job-creating tourists, to the benefit of the relative few.
Please oppose these bills.
Preston Robertson
Florida Wildlife federation