By STAFF REPORTS
The Florida House Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget Subcommittee on Tuesday announced a proposed budget of $6.4 billion, down roughly $900 million from the current budget, as lawmakers find ways to cut costs this legislative session.
Everglades funding is proposed to take the brunt of the reductions, as Committee Chair Tiffany Esposito, R-Fort Myers, laid out committee funding proposals. The committee proposes $357 million in Everglades funding. The current fiscal year budget included more than $850 million for Everglades restoration.
However, Esposito pointed out that more than $1.1 billion of the $4 billion in state funds that has been appropriated to Everglades restoration over the last decade has not yet been spent, including $900 million in the last two years. The figure doesn’t include more than $3.2 billion in federal funding by Congress, she said.
“I think it’s fiscally responsible to reduce our appropriation to fund the Everglades until the dollars that have already been appropriated have been spent,” she said. “I believe the taxpayers of Florida would agree that there’s no need to appropriate another $800M when over $1.1B remains unspent.”
Other highlights of the House’s proposed environmental budget include:
- Reduction of 324 vacant positions
- Reduction of $245 million from the base budget
- $822 million for water resources, including:
- $357 million for Everglades restoration
- $193 million in water projects
- $50 million for springs protection
- $50 million total maximum daily loads
- $60 million for alternative water supply
- $20 million for Biscayne Bay water quality
- $15 million for algal bloom innovative technology
- $10.8 million for water quality enhancement and accountability
- $9.6 million for red tide research
- $24.5 million for coral reef protection
- Additional areas of the proposed budget include:
- Resilient Florida, a flooding and sea level rise program, is funded at $220 million, with $20 million for Resilient Florida planning grants
- Land acquisition and land management is proposed at $284 million for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Rural and Family Lands program, and $84 million for land management across the state
- $284 million is proposed for waste cleanup programs at the Department of Environmental Protection
- The budget proposes $602 million for the stormwater, drinking water and wastewater revolving loan program
- $50 million is proposed for beach restoration projects
- $15 million is proposed for state park improvements
- Florida Keys Area of Critical State Concern is funded at $20 million
- Citrus disease response funding is proposed at $18 million
The budget also includes $119 million in funding for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ new complex in Tallahassee, as well as funding for upgrades to state fairgrounds and state farmers markets, fire suppression equipment, derelict vessel funding, and other items.
Esposito noted the budget constraints the legislature is working with, noting that budget projections identify shortfalls in the state budget if spending is not tightened.
“We need to right-size our budget this year – we have to stop the spending,” she said. “We have the duty to spend taxpayers’ hard-earned money responsibly and find ways to reduce the tax burden on our citizens.”
