Last week, HB 299 \u2014 the Blue Ribbon Projects bill, was substantively amended to be less bad. However, the changes still leave the proposed bill in a form that sets a dangerous precedent for incentivizing intense development in rural areas of the state.<\/p>\n
This morning, the Senate version, SB 354, was amended to match the changes made in the House bill.<\/p>\n
\ufeffThis bill is being fast-tracked for passage and will be heard tomorrow in the Senate Rules committee for the last time before it\u2019s scheduled for a full Senate vote. More than likely, the faster-moving House bill will be considered by the full Senate, positioning it to be passed and sent to the governor for his signature.<\/p>\n
The now matching House and Senate Blue Ribbon Projects bills have been amended to increase the \u201cproject\u201d size to 15,000 acres from 10,000 and clarified uses allowed in the \u201creserve areas.\u201d Despite these improvements, the bill still fundamentally changes the planning patterns for the rapidly shrinking rural areas of our state, when several other high-profile bills have been proposing laws to be changed to preserve these same areas for agricultural purposes.<\/p>\n
The Blue Ribbon Projects bills still have concerning and unclear language regarding a local government\u2019s ability to object to these projects when there are \u201csubstantial inconsistencies\u201d between the project\u2019s plans and the already adopted local government\u2019s comprehensive plan.<\/p>\n
At a time when local governments are restricted by the state from collecting certain impact fees and when the state\u2019s property tax reform proposals seek to drastically change local governments\u2019 ability to provide even the basic infrastructure necessary to address critical needs, developers do not need another round of handouts designed to disregard the established planning process.<\/p>\n
Please visit https:\/\/sccf.quorum.us\/campaign\/156942\/<\/a> to let the Senate Rules Committee know that you oppose this amended bill and call for the adherence to already adopted local government growth plans.<\/p>\n Thank you for your commitment to actively protect Florida\u2019s natural resources and, in doing so, protecting our economy and quality of life.<\/p>\n Founded in 1967, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation\u2019s mission is to protect and care for Southwest Florida\u2019s coastal ecosystems. For more information, visit sccf.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n