Florida Water and Land Legacy Campaign seeks amendment to protect Florida's natural resources

Florida Water and Land Legacy
Campaign seeks amendment to
protect Florida's natural resources
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Florida-Proud-to-Call-it-Home/159078254229427

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Summary: A proposed amendment to the Florida
constitution could raise more than $5 billion for
water and land conservation in Florida over the
next ten years without any tax increase


http://www.facebook.com/pages/Florida-Proud-to-Call-it-Home/159078254229427

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(August 14, 2012) -. The newly-formed Florida Water and Land
Legacy Campaign is proposing an amendment to the Florida
constitution that would dedicate one-third of the income from the
current excise tax on documents to Florida environmental and
ecological programs. Comprised of the Trust for Public Land,
Audubon Florida, the Florida Wildlife Federation, the Sierra Club,
the Nature Conservancy, 1000 Friends of Florida, Defenders of
Wildlife, and others, the Campaign is currently collecting signatures
from at least 676,811 registered Florida voters to ensure that the
proposed amendment will be included on the 2014 ballot.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Florida-Proud-to-Call-it-Home/159078254229427

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In just the past 3 years, funding for the state's signature
Florida Forever program has been cut by an astounding 97.5
percent. Financial support for the Land Acquisition Trust
Fund has declined from $265 million in the 2006-2007 fiscal
year to $85.4 million in fiscal year 2010-2011 And in 2012
only $8.5 million was approved for water protection and
land conservation out of a total state budget of $60-billion -
less than $1 for each Florida resident.


http://www.facebook.com/pages/Florida-Proud-to-Call-it-Home/159078254229427

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If approved, the amendment would take effect July 1, 2015.
For the next 20 years, one-third of the net revenues from
the existing excise tax on documents would be taken out of
the legislature's General Fund and specifically allocated to
environmental project use. It is projected that this
amendment will result in more than $5 billion in dedicated
funding for water and land conservation in Florida over the
next ten years, with a total $10 billion being raised over the
20-year life of the measure.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Florida-Proud-to-Call-it-Home/159078254229427

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The latest official news and status updates about the Campaign
can be found at
http://www.FloridaWaterLandLegacy.org
In addition to the main Florida Water and Land Legacy Campaign
site, a number of other websites are helping spread awareness of
the proposed Florida constitutional amendment both nationally
and abroad. Among these is
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Florida-Proud-to-Call-it-
Home/159078254229427,a Facebook fanpage that offers an
online community where people can share their thoughts and
comments about the latest Florida news and events.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Florida-Proud-to-Call-it-Home/159078254229427

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"We feel it is very important to get the news out about how vital
this amendment would be to the long-term survival of Florida's
magnificent natural resources," notes page administrator S.S.
Ober-Lehn. "And Facebook's international appeal makes the
Florida Proud to Call It Home fanpage a natural place for anyone
anywhere in the world who is concerned about protecting
Florida's fragile ecosystems to come together to discuss this
proposed amendment and help spread awareness about it."


http://www.facebook.com/pages/Florida-Proud-to-Call-it-Home/159078254229427

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To find out more about current news and events
in Florida, please visit

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Florida-Proud-to-Call-it-
Home/159078254229427
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Florida-Proud-to-Call-it-Home/159078254229427

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