Capital Watch 2007
Week One - Ending March 9
Jay Liles, FWF Policy Consultant
"I am persuaded that global climate change is one of the most important issues that we will face this century." - Governor Charlie Crist in his State of the State Address, March 6, 2007.
With those words Governor Crist set himself above partisan politics and cemented a place among leaders who recognize that the time to debate Global Warming is long past. It is now time to act to rectify the situation. It was a bold statement which we think worthy of reprint in its full context.
"This simple fact reflects a challenge that we ignore at our own peril. I am persuaded that global climate change is one of the most important issues that we will face this century.
With almost 1,200 miles of coastline and the majority of our citizens living near that coastline, Florida is more vulnerable to rising ocean levels and violent weather patterns than any other state. Yet, we have done little to understand and address the root causes of this problem, or frankly, even acknowledge that the problem exists.
No longer. Following this legislative session, I will bring together the brightest minds to begin working on a plan for Florida to explore groundbreaking technologies and strategies that will place our state at the forefront of a growing world-wide movement to reduce greenhouse gases. Florida will provide not only the policy and technological advances, but the moral leadership, to allow us to overcome this monumental challenge.
But during this session, we can take the first bold steps in moving toward alternative fuels and other alternative sources of energy. I have proposed almost 70 million dollars in my budget to foster the development and use of alternative energy sources and fuels in our state, including ethanol and biodiesel fuels for our cars and solar power for our homes.
There is no reason why, as Commissioner Bronson has pointed out, that the Sunshine state cannot be the national leader in the production of alternative energy. With these measured steps, we can begin to achieve three important goals: addressing global climate change, promoting Florida agriculture, and weaning our country from reliance on foreign oil."
With numerous legislative vehicles filed to address Global Warming and sustainable energy the Governor has placed himself squarely in the middle of this debate and has signaled his intent to see real progress as opposed to simply more discussion of the merits of the science associated with climate change. The Florida Wildlife Federation applauds the Governor's bold vision and has indicated our willingness to work with the Governor and legislative leadership to craft meaningful climate and energy legislation.
With this back drop committee action got underway and several important measures were voted upon. The House Environmental Preservation Committee took the formal step of introducing legislation to establish a Climate Partnership. If passed, the bill will create a council of state political, environmental, energy and business leaders charged with planning a course to address Florida's energy and Global Warming impacts. The Senate is expected to take up a similar measure early in the session.
At the urging and with the support of FWF, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has requested legislation that will increase hunting and fishing license fees to more accurately reflect the cost of administering the licensing program and to support fish and wildlife management in the future. SB 1982 passed the Senate Environmental Preservation Committee by a unanimous vote of 6-0 on March 8 and is now scheduled to go before the Senate Finance and Tax Committee.
A Senate review of license fees and exemptions completed in 1999 found that the costs of issuing some of the agency's licenses and permits exceeded the revenues generated by those permits, and recognized that many of the fees for those permits had not been raised since 1929. The report stated that a survey conducted by the former Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission concluded that Florida's license fees were less than the national average for every category except non-resident hunting and resident trapping fees. The report further found that at least 30 percent of Florida's population is either eligible to receive a free license or is exempt from license requirements due to age or disability. According to the FWC, current operating costs exceed revenues and by fiscal year 2010/2011 total deficits will exceed $12.5 million. These shortfalls in revenues have been made up by appropriation of general revenue by the Legislature.
On average, Florida resident annual license holders would see an average increase of 11% - 29% for hunting, freshwater fishing and saltwater fishing. Non-resident 3-day, 7-day and annual license holders would see an average increase of 34% - 68% for freshwater and saltwater fishing.
Lou Dombrova, President of the Snook Foundation and an FWF board member, loaned his valuable time and influence to the successful effort to pass this bill out of committee. He was joined by FWF Vice-President and General Counsel, Preston Robertson, in advocating for this much needed enhancement to FWC wildlife management expenditures.
FWF Policy Consultant
We have created a list of the
priority issues the Florida Wildlife Federation is determined to have heard this year. Many of these issues are, or will be, addressed in one or more bills. Some have no bills filed as of yet but may appear in the form of spending bills (appropriations) or amendments.
Under the heading
"Bills to Watch" we have included a list of bills already filed. It is this section that will undergo the most change as we proceed through the legislative session. Please click on this link each week to see the update list.
