Update – Senate Bill 2508 Original vs. Final

March 17, 2022March 17, 2022

Senate Bill 2508 passes full legislature vote—final version is a far cry from its original. Yesterday, SB 2508 passed 33-0 in the Senate and 99-8 in the House, but the final version of bill that passed looks a lot different than the one filed five weeks ago.

During last week’s final negotiations, the bill was amended again, further watering down the remaining threats that the bill posed. Even though it passed yesterday’s vote, the major harm to our waters was avoided thanks entirely to YOUR unprecedented efforts.

The bill still doesn’t do anything to help our waters, and there are some concerns remaining, but the threat it presents is significantly reduced because you all fought harder than we’ve ever seen before. What started as an absolute train wreck for Everglades restoration now looks more like a fender bender.

Let’s take a look at how 43,000 petition signatures, thousands of phone calls & emails to the legislature, insane social participation, and two trips to Tallahassee were able to impact the final language in SB 2508…

KILLED: Dilutes funding for the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir by opening a dedicated funding stream to other competing projects. (Line item removed ✓)
KILLED: Subjects LOSOM and all other future Lake Okeechobee regulation schedules to the CERP savings clause. This would reduce beneficial environmental flows to the Everglades and the Caloosahatchee during the dry season, forcing higher lake levels at the start of the wet season and creating less capacity to take on summer rains. The result would be more toxic discharges and more nutrients to fuel red tide blooms. (Line item removed ✓)
KILLED: Ties over $300 Million of Everglades restoration funding to the passage of the bill, making it challenging for the Governor to veto. (Line item removed ✓)
KILLED*: Requires SFWMD reports be sent to the Legislature providing opportunities for them to be legally challenged. (*Still requires reports to be sent, however, the final legislation specifies the reports are not challengeable.)
WEAKENED: Takes authority away from SFWMD to change rules on how Lake O is managed at lower levels. (Final version of SB 2508 removed the portion turning existing rules into state law. However, it still creates an opportunity for the Legislature to block SFWMD rule changes, making them very difficult to change and ultimately benefiting the status quo.)

WEAKENED: Takes authority away from SFWMD to change rules on how Lake O is managed at lower levels. (Final version of SB 2508 removed the portion turning existing rules into state law. However, it still creates an opportunity for the Legislature to block SFWMD rule changes, making them very difficult to change and ultimately benefiting the status quo.)

Thank you for your relentless pushback against this bad bill—without it, a water-quality catastrophe was inevitable.

http://www.captainsforcleanwater.org