Sierra Club Florida Alert - Everglades vs. Sprawl!

Urgent action needed, and time is short!

Please Email and Call your Senator early Monday morning and urge them to OPPOSE the bad amendments to HB 4003 - Growth Policy that will be heard on the Senate Floor Monday. 

The bad amendments are 832626 by Sen. Bogdanoff and 799666 by Sen. Dean.  (There is also an amendment by Sen. Detert to protect Sarasota County from the impact of Sen. Bogdanoff’s amendment. That one is OK, but won’t be necessary if we can stop Sen. Bogdanoff’s from being adopted.)

Sen. Bogdanoff’s amendment 832626 would prohibit requiring a supermajority to adopt an amendment to a comprehensive plan.  In Miami-Dade County, that supermajority vote is all that stands against new suburban development on the eastern border of Everglades National Park. Developers are relentless in wanting to turn that area into more suburban sprawl – and our already stressed National Park needs all the protection it can get.  Building roads, houses, and shopping malls will not protect our wetlands.

Text of the amendment:

    5  Section 5.A local government may not adopt or impose any

    6  supermajority voting requirement, by charter provision,

    7  ordinance, or otherwise, for the transmittal or adoption of

    8  amendments to the comprehensive plan.

Sen. Dean has also filed amendment 799666 to give owners of agricultural land with development on its perimeter a legal presumption in favor of obtaining a comprehensive plan amendment that upgrades their land from agricultural to residential, commercial, or industrial use.

The Department of Community Affairs used to keep an eye on this kind of bad growth policy.  But they were eliminated by Governor Scott and the Florida legislature last year. HB 4003 is coming up for a vote this Monday at 10 a.m. ! Please email and call your Senator to ask them to OPPOSE amendments 832626 and 799666 to HB 4003 (Growth Policy).

Full Senate emails grouped:

alexander.jd.web@flsenate.gov, altman.thad.web@flsenate.gov, benacquisto.lizbeth.web@flsenate.gov, bennett.mike.web@flsenate.gov, bogdanoff.ellyn.web@flsenate.gov, braynon.oscar.web@flsenate.gov, bullard.larcenia.web@flsenate.gov, dean.charles.web@flsenate.gov, detert.nancy.web@flsenate.gov, portilla.miguel.web@flsenate.gov, dockery.paula.web@flsenate.gov, evers.greg.web@flsenate.gov, fasano.mike.web@flsenate.gov, flores.anitere.web@flsenate.gov, gaetz.don.web@flsenate.gov, garcia.rene.web@flsenate.gov, gardiner.andy.web@flsenate.gov, gibson.audrey.web@flsenate.gov,

haridopolos.mike.web@flsenate.gov, hays.alan.web@flsenate.gov, jones.dennis.web@flsenate.gov, joyner.arthenia.web@flsenate.gov, latvala.jack.web@flsenate.gov, lynn.evelyn.web@flsenate.gov, margolis.gwen.web@flsenate.gov, montford.bill.web@flsenate.gov, negron.joe.web@flsenate.gov, norman.jim.web@flsenate.gov, oelrich.steve.web@flsenate.gov, rich.nan.web@flsenate.gov, richter.garrett.web@flsenate.gov, ring.jeremy.web@flsenate.gov, sachs.maria.web@flsenate.gov, simmons.david.web@flsenate.gov , siplin.gary.web@flsenate.gov, smith.chris.web@flsenate.gov, sobel.eleanor.web@flsenate.gov, storms.ronda.web@flsenate.gov, thrasher.john.web@flsenate.gov, wise.stephen.web@flsenate.gov

Please send emails to Senators in two groups to reduce the number that get bounced back.

And please remember to Call!

Senator                                  Local Phone                        Email Address                                                              

Sen. JD Alexander                (850) 487-5044                   alexander.jd.web@flsenate.gov                                 

Sen. Thad Altman                 (850) 487-5053                   altman.thad.web@flsenate.gov   
(Please click to see the rest of the Senator's contact information:)

                                

Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto   (850) 487-5356                   benacquisto.lizbeth.web@flsenate.gov                     

Sen. Michael S. ''Mike'' Bennett  (850) 487-5078          bennett.mike.web@flsenate.gov                                

Sen. Ellyn Setnor Bogdanoff      (850) 487-5100  bogdanoff.ellyn.web@flsenate.gov                           

Sen. Oscar Braynon             (850) 487-5116                   braynon.oscar.web@flsenate.gov                              

Sen. Larcenia J. Bullard      (850) 487-5127                   bullard.larcenia.web@flsenate.gov                           

Sen. Charles S. ''Charlie'' Dean  (850) 487-5017            dean.charles.web@flsenate.gov                                 

Sen. Nancy Detert                (850) 487-5081                   detert.nancy.web@flsenate.gov                                 

Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla  (850) 487-5109           portilla.miguel.web@flsenate.gov                             

Sen. Paula Dockery              (850) 487-5040                   dockery.paula.web@flsenate.gov                              

Sen. Greg Evers                    (850) 487-5000                   evers.greg.web@flsenate.gov                                     

Sen. Mike Fasano                 (850) 487-5062                   fasano.mike.web@flsenate.gov                                  

Sen. Anitere Flores               (850) 487-5130                   flores.anitere.web@flsenate.gov                                

Sen. Don Gaetz                     (850) 487-5009                   gaetz.don.web@flsenate.gov                                      

Sen. Rene Garcia                  (850) 487-5106                   garcia.rene.web@flsenate.gov                                    

Sen. Andy Gardiner             (850) 487-5047                   gardiner.andy.web@flsenate.gov                               

Sen. Audrey Gibson             (850) 487-5024                   gibson.audrey.web@flsenate.gov                              

Sen. Mike Haridopolos        (850) 487-5056                   haridopolos.mike.web@flsenate.gov                        

Sen. Alan Hays                     (850) 487-5014                   hays.alan.web@flsenate.gov                                       

Sen. Dennis Jones                (850) 487-5065                   jones.dennis.web@flsenate.gov                                 

Sen. Arthenia Joyner           (850) 487-5059                   joyner.arthenia.web@flsenate.gov                            

Sen. Jack Latvala                  (850) 487-5075                   latvala.jack.web@flsenate.gov                                   

Sen. Evelyn J. Lynn             (850) 487-5033                   lynn.evelyn.web@flsenate.gov                                  

Sen. Gwen Margolis             (850) 487-5121                   margolis.gwen.web@flsenate.gov                              

Sen. Bill Montford               (850) 487-5004                   montford.bill.web@flsenate.gov                                

Sen. Joe Negron                    (850) 487-5088                   negron.joe.web@flsenate.gov                                     

Sen. Jim Norman                  (850) 487-5068                   norman.jim.web@flsenate.gov                                   

Sen. Steve Oelrich                (850) 487-5020                   oelrich.steve.web@flsenate.gov                                 

Sen. Nan Rich                       (850) 487-5103                   rich.nan.web@flsenate.gov                                         

Sen. Garrett Richter             (850) 487-5124                   richter.garrett.web@flsenate.gov                               

Sen. Jeremy Ring                  (850) 487-5094                   ring.jeremy.web@flsenate.gov                                   

Sen. Maria Lorts Sachs        (850) 487-5091                   sachs.maria.web@flsenate.gov                                   

Sen. David Simmons            (850) 487-5050                   simmons.david.web@flsenate.gov                             

Sen. Gary Siplin                    (850) 487-5190                   siplin.gary.web@flsenate.gov                                     

Sen. Christopher ''Chris'' Smith  (850) 487-5112           smith.chris.web@flsenate.gov                                    

Sen. Eleanor Sobel               (850) 487-5097                   sobel.eleanor.web@flsenate.gov                                

Sen. Ronda  Storms              (850) 487-5072                   storms.ronda.web@flsenate.gov                                

Sen. John Thrasher               (850) 487-5030                   thrasher.john.web@flsenate.gov                                

Sen. Stephen R. Wise           (850) 487-5027                   wise.stephen.web@flsenate.gov                                 

David Cullen
Sierra Club Florida lobbyist