Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/277189
If the state wants to prioritize conservation, it should consider other funding options, Robinson added. Sarasota County has preserved natural areas through its Environmentally Sensitive Lands Program, she pointed out, and the county commissioners can opt to purchase more with the remaining funds. "I'm comfortable … with how much we own, and we are still able to acquire land," Robinson said. During the Amendment 1 campaign, she added, she tried to figure out what the fiscal impact of the measure would be. She asked petition gatherers what programs would potentially be defunded to make up the short- age in the doc stamp revenue stream. "'What would it be taking money from?' I asked that question. They didn't have the information at that point." She emphasized, "When folks were signing the petition, they were not told what could be defunded to implement the amendment." The funding stream, however, does not appear that murky, based on News Leader research. The specific ballot language and online news reports about the constitutional amendment petition drive dating back to 2012 show the Water and Land Conservation program would be funded by a statutory allocation of "no less than 33 percent" of net revenues from the doc stamp taxes. Robinson argues, "It doesn't say [the con- servation program] will take this money from transportation." While the amendment is considered bud- get neutral, and it would not directly lead to the creation of new taxes, it could leave a hole in state funding, county staff says. According to Marsha Hosack, the county's intergovernmental relations director, in a March 10 email to Robinson, "Most notably 38.2% of doc stamps are directed by statute to the State Transportation Trust Fund used for MPO local transportation project prior- ities, as well as 5.64% Water Protection and Sustainability Trust Fund, 2.12% Ecosystem Management and Restoration Trust Fund, among others that fund water quality and other environmental programs." "Consequently," Hosack wrote, "if the consti- tutional amendment were to pass redirecting 33% of doc stamp revenues … to the Land Acquisition Trust fund, the county could experience reductions in revenue opportuni- ties available from current programs." Thaxton counters that passage of the amend- ment would hold state officials to a promise made twice before, with the implementation of Preservation 2000 and Florida Forever. "It will be a constitutional requirement that the 33 percent is set aside," Thaxton said. "Without the constitutional amendment, there is only a moral obligation, and that has not proved to be enough for legislators." He finds fault in Robinson's reasoning that the amendment would steal from other programs. "If you don't want to spend this money on land conservation as it was promised, give it back to the taxpayers," Thaxton added. "Don't tell the voters [you will] tax them for conserva- tion and then use it for transportation." Abberger contends that as the economy improves, additional doc stamp revenue from homes sales, combined with increased gen- eral fund revenue, could cover any shortages that Amendment 1 would leave in state and local budgets. Dedicating the extra revenue for the latter purposes, though, would be up to state legislators. % Sarasota News Leader March 14, 2014 Page 22