PETITION CLOSED

  • The time period for signing this petition has ended.
  1. Signatures
    64 out of 500
    Petitioning
    1. Your Governor (+ 2 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • Your Governor
      • Your State Senate
      • Your State House

We need to urge Florida Governor Charlie Crist to VETO SB 2080. 

SB 2080 is a threat to open government, the economy and the environment in Florida.  This bill will take transparency out of governing water management districts and allow deals with developers vested interests to be hashed out behind closed doors.  It will take the public notice requirements away and remove the public's participation in the process.

Groups like the St. John's Riverkeeper supports veto of the bill due to the threat of easy access of land use to developers and influence wetlands and water resources.

These closed door permitting deals will allow developers to have easy access to water usage and wetlands destruction without the public ever being notified.   The very people who would be affected to most would be left out of the decision process. 

Should Floridians be allowing more special interest land development in this economy with no input on water usage and wetlands destruction while there are 300,000 empty homes in Florida?  Is this really the best action plan for our children's future and for Florida's financial security?  What about additional threats to our environment and future costs that will be associated as a result?  What about Florida's already uncontrolled population growth and the impacts of proposed water withdrawls from the St. John's and Ocklawaha rivers as a result?  

We need to stop irresponsible development and protect the public's access to government transparency and encourage the public's participation in landuse deals, not block it.  We are therefore urging Governor Crist to veto SB 2080. 

We need to be proactive now so our children aren't forced to be reactive later. That is our obligation as responsible Floridians.  The proposed SB 2080, as amended,  is greedy de-regulation that will undoubtedly lead to problems for Florida as a whole, while benefiting only a select few.

Recent Signatures

VETO SB 2080

Dear Governor Crist

I urge you to veto SB 2080.  This bill, as amended, would  kill public notice, and public participation in water permits, including permits for water withdrawls. All the permits would be handled behind closed doors.

This bill is an attempt to block public involvement in government agency and precludes Florida’s open government laws. Transparency and access to government strengthens citizens’ civil rights and liberties, including access to information of governing bodies overseeing our waterways and land development.



<p>Under this legislation, the state's five water management district boards would no longer have to sign off on consumptive use permits for water and wetlands destruction permits.&nbsp; That authority would rest solely with the executive director of each district and could be done&nbsp;without public input.</p>


<p>This bill enables&nbsp;destruction of&nbsp;wetlands and water resources needed for development.&nbsp; With out water conservation, the already uncontrolled population growth in central Florida would only continue to dry up city wells and&nbsp;threaten our water resources further.</p>


<p>With SB 2080&nbsp;legislators are giving free rein to developers to continue building; with quality of life and&nbsp;our state's natural resources at risk, even though there are currently 300,000 homes in Florida sitting empty.

We The People of Florida demand public&nbsp;access to these&nbsp;governing decisions.&nbsp; As the People's Governor,&nbsp;I respectfully&nbsp;urge you to&nbsp;perform the&nbsp;honorable&nbsp;duty of vetoing SB 2080.</p>

[Your name]