What is Amendment 1? Amendment 1: Water and Land Conservation Dedicates funds to acquire and restore Florida conservation and recreation lands. Funds the Land Acquisition Trust Fund to acquire, restore, improve, and manage conservation lands including wetlands and forests; fish and wildlife habitat; lands protecting water resources and drinking water sources, including the Everglades, and the water quality of rivers, lakes, and streams; beaches and shores; outdoor recreational lands; working farms and ranches; and historic or geologic sites, by dedicating 33 percent of net revenues from the existing excise tax on documents for 20 years. Remember the lottery? Florida politicians may try the same shell games with the environment. It's hard to overstate how overwhelming the support was. Amendment 1 passed with 75 percent. No statewide candidate got anything close to that. But Legislators are once again playing shell games. For instance, the House budget proposes spending $38 million of this money on existing payroll for the state's park services and $40 million on existing forest services employees. Gov. Rick Scott's proposal included $17.5 million for a wastewater-treatment project in the Florida Keys. The Senate has $10 million for salaries in the Environmental Protection division. Were you able to keep your eye on the pea? Did you see the shells move? Most of those endeavors aren't new. None of them involve land preservation. Environmental groups are crying foul. So are government watchdogs. The Florida Today newspaper in Melbourne took the rare step of running a front-page editorial demanding that lawmakers "Respect voters, Obey Constitution on Amendment 1." What Can We Do To Make a Difference? We need the Indian River Lagoon to be be on the list of recipients of short AND long term annual funding. It is unconstitutional to watch the lagoon dying and the Florida State government do nothing to enact a plan to protect and conserve our wildlife. UNCONSTITUTIONAL. Our elected officials need to hear from you about what the Water and Land Conservation Amendment means to you and what it is intended to achieve. If you haven't already, the first step is to find your state representative and state senator. (Thank you Florida's Water and Land Legacy for providing this site!) http://floridawaterlandlegacy.org/sections/page/legitoolkit Once you have that information, schedule a meeting or phone call to talk with them. Please take a moment to speak for the fish, dolphins and Manatees who cannot. Our lagoon needs us. Thank you, Jennifer Van Geel Smith