By Regan McCarthy
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-983732.mp3
Tallahassee, FL – Florida's Water Management Districts are cutting 700-million dollars from their budgets. The cuts come from reductions in property tax revenue, shutting down some conservation projects and reducing employee benefits. As Regan McCarthy reports State officials say Florida's water bodies will be protected but some environmental activists say it will hurt Florida's ecology.
The decreases mean a savings for tax payers across the state but some environmentalists warn the reduction comes at the expense of one of Florida's most precious resources--water. Governor Rick Scott is applauding the reductions made by districts so far. He says it's a good thing when the government's practices mirror those in the private sector.
"If you think about it if you're in a business that's growing rapidly maybe some borrowing makes some sense, but even when you're growing rapidly, your goal is to reduce your debt as much as you can."
DEP Secretary Herschel Vineyard says these cuts do exactly that .
"There were a number of management employees that had dual retirement systems, both the Florida retirement system as well as what we in the private sector know as the 401-K that saved us another over 5-million dollars. We've eliminated the vacation and sick pay buy backs, and that was another elimination of 5-million dollars in the budget and that doesn't have anything to do with environmental protection."
Vinyard says the department has trimmed the fat, but will still spend 1-billion dollars next year. He says districts are maintaining their focuses on what he calls their core mission, while becoming more efficient.
Each water management district is affected by the cuts differently. Douglass Barr is the Executive Director of the North West Florida Water Management District. Barr's district is the only district not required by recently signed legislation to cut its property tax revenue because it has been historically low, but Barr says the district's board has decided to cut that collection by about 10-percent anyway because the board felt it was the right thing to do. The district will spend down its reserves, but Barr says he's confident the money will be there for projects the district needs to complete looking forward.
"In the future I think we will have the funding that we truly need to implement programs that the legislature has told us are the responsibility of the water management districts."
The Northwest district proposed a budget with a savings of almost 17-million dollars for next year, but Governor Scott is asking the district to cut more specifically from salary and reserves. State wide, he's asking all districts for a total of 2.4-million dollars in cuts. The only district not being asked to make additional cuts is the South Florida Water Management District. It was hit hardest by a new provision requiring tax revenue reduction and has already cut 134 employees.
Earth Justice Director David Guest says he's concerned because tools that were in place to protect Florida's waters are being in danger because of the budget cuts.
"What I see this administration in Florida doing is acknowledging that the water management districts don't run as efficiently as they could and they should. So, to use a metaphor, it's like they have recognized that their car needs a really major tune-up and instead of using tune-up tools and skilled mechanics they're getting out there with a jack-hammer and just smashing everything that they can get their hands on."
Guest says almost all restoration projects have been cut and he says the leaves the state's water bodies at risk of being over-grown by fertilizer run off, or drained. He says the state's water protection depends on funding. He gives an example from a case in South Florida.
"The water management district has said outright in court that we simply don't have the money for treatment projects and they provide a budget that shows they simply don't have the money for treatment projects. Cutting this budget has grave and immediate consequences."
Everglades Foundation representatives are praising the budget proposals. Everglades Foundation CEO Kirk Fordham says the projects most important to the Everglades and Everglades restoration will be maintained.