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she asked the county's legislative lobbyists to try to calculate other potential impacts. Robinson pointed out that less transportation money from state doc stamp revenue could impede such planned local projects as round- abouts on U.S. 41 and roadway expansion. "It impacts a whole slew of … [transportation] programs." RAIDED FUNDS The Water and Land Legacy constitutional amendment drive needed more than 650,000 signatures — a threshold that was well sur- passed — to get the measure on the Nov. 4 ballot. The amendment will need the approval of 60 percent of voters casting ballots state- wide if it is to pass. It would go into effect on July 1, 2015. The Water and Land Legacy would fund a con- servation effort more comprehensive than Florida Forever or Preservation 2000, the pre- decessor to Florida Forever. Those two programs have paid for many local projects. The first purchase under Preservation 2000 involved a tract of land bordering Oscar Scherer State Park that was renamed in honor of former Sarasota County Commissioner Jon Thaxton. In another local example, $1.64 mil- lion in Florida Forever funding made possible the purchase of 71 acres for Red Bug Slough in 2002. During the latter year alone, $70 mil- lion was distributed throughout the state for conservation purchases. That was several years before the Legislature slashed Florida Forever's fund by 97.5 percent, according to Florida's Water and Land Legacy. The front cover of Conservation Thresholds for Land Use Planners is a photo by Claire Dobert of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It shows encroachment on gnatcatcher habitat. The document is a publication of the Environmental Law Institute. Image courtesy Environmental Law Institute Amendment 1 is more than Florida Forever. Conserving lands is part of the program. But perhaps, more importantly, Amendment 1 will provide protection of water quality and [water] restoration projects such as the Everglades or Indian River lagoon or Sarasota Bay. Will Abberger Director Florida Water and Land Legacy Campaign Sarasota News Leader March 14, 2014 Page 19