Legislation and Policy

Action Alert!  January 12, 2009

Act Now to Prevent Costly Cuts in Funding for Public Lands

On January 8th, the state legislature announced that they would withdraw funding for land purchase and management in Florida immediately. The final legislative vote is Wednesday, January 14. The legislation will then go to Governor Crist for his signature.

Please e-mail or fax Governor Crist TODAY to make the following requests. Make sure to copy the house and senate leadership and your local legislators on your correspondence. Numbers are critical to influence current and future decision-making. See contact info below.

Requests

  1. Commit to appropriation of adequate funding for Florida Forever, consistent with legislative intent reflected in passage of its extension during the 2008 session.
  2. Provide funds for Florida Forever land purchases that have been negotiated in good faith with land owners and are ready to be executed. Delay will result in higher costs to taxpayers--land that now can be acquired at a reasonable cost will soon be much more costly or unavailable.
  3. Funding for land management must be continued for all state conservation lands, including any state lands proposed for temporary closure as a cost cutting measure, such as the 19 properties in the Florida State Park system. Interruption of management practices, including control of non-native nuisance species and prescribed burning, means increased future management costs for minimal current savings. Neglect of such lands can also result in uncontrolled fire events, and open properties to vandalism and citizen injury.

Visit SupportFloridaForever.org for up-to-date information on these issues.

Read FNPS President Gene Kelly's letter to the Governor, click for pdf file.

Contact Info

Governor Crist
EMAIL: Charlie.Crist@MyFlorida.com
PHONE: (850) 488-7146, FAX: (850) 487-0801

State Senators
http://www.flsenate.gov/Welcome/
Toward bottom of left-side menu, go to "Find your Legislators" and
type in your zip code.

State Representatives
http://www.flhouse.gov/
Toward bottom of left-side menu, go to "Find Your Representative" and
type in your zip code.

The FNPS tracks legislation and public policies that affect the conservation of Florida Native Plants.

Issues that affect our mission and that call for some form of immediate action are presented in Action Alerts. These alerts are provided to make you aware of issues that relate to the preservation, conservation, and restoration of Florida's native plants. When Action Alerts are posted, recommendation for appropriate action will be provided.

To nominate an issue for an Action Alert, or further attention from the Society, please read criteria below. For urgent issues, please contact Ben Mercadante by email at natives01@earthlink.net, or Karina Veaudry, Executive Director, FNPS at 321-388-4781.

To receive Action Alerts via e-mail, send an email to info@fnps.org.

if you are interested in participating on this important FNPS committee or would like additional information, contact the Government Policy Committee Cochairs, Annie Schmidt & Kim Zarillo.

Criteria for Raising an Issue to Statewide Awareness

We hope that our membership will bring issues to the Committee for consideration. If you wish to have your issue considered, please answer the following questions in writing and submit to Committee Member: Ben Mercadante by email at natives01@earthlink.net

  1. Issues must be of a specific nature. What is your issue? Please describe.
  2. How does your issue specifically affect the preservation, conservation and/or restoration of native plants and/or native plant communities?
  3. For an issue to be declared by the Society as having statewide significance, it must affect more than your local jurisdiction. What is it about your issue that you believe makes it of statewide significance?
  4. What action would you expect from FNPS should this issue be determined of statewide significance?
  5. What action will you and your local chapter take should this issue be determined of statewide significance?

Statement of Purpose of the Policy and Legislative Committee

To assist our Board of Directors in determining if an issue is of significant statewide impact to merit action or statement on the part of FNPS. This determination will be based on how closely the issue fits within the FNPS mission “to preserve, conserve and restore native plants and native plant communities”

The power of any group lies in its ability to focus and advocate for the most far-reaching and significant topics within its area of expertise. Once focused, collaborations with other groups of like mind, but of different areas of knowledge become possible and powerful. Conversely, the power to affect events is lost if a group strays too far from its knowledge base and fragments the group’s advocacy effectiveness.

FNPS can best serve preservation, conservation and restoration of native plants and native plant habitats by bringing the discussion of statewide issues to the FNPS Board of Directors. While supportive of our chapters in their local endeavors, the Society can better serve all FNPS members by focusing on issues that have regional or statewide ramifications. Therefore, it’s not any plant, any time, any where, but rather all plants within the larger context of natural systems throughout Florida.

We hope that our membership participates in this process by bringing topics to our attention that meet these criteria. We welcome your input.

To read about the following topics, Please click here.

  • Procedure for arriving at determination that an issue is of statewide significance
  • General areas considered to be of statewide significance
  • General areas considered not to be of statewide significance
  • FNPS organizational policy effect on local chapters
  • Criteria for raising a local issue to statewide awareness

FNPS
Policy Statements

Policy statements of FNPS are developed to reflect where the Society stands on emerging issues impacting the well-being of Florida's native plants and their natural communities. Each policy statement is vetted, based on the best available science, and directly relevant to mission. The full board of the Society must vote for adoption of any policy presented by the Policy and Legislative Committee. Current policies, and supporting background, are presented here to support efforts to advocate for good policy and practice at the state and local level. When used and identified as the policy of the FNPS, these policy statements should be used in full, without alteration.

Preservation Policy

FNPS resolves that the preservation and perpetuation of native plant communities is our highest priority. Restoration of disturbed lands and the encouragement of the use of native plants for landscaping are important secondary goals. However, restoration must not be considered as a desirable or an equal alternative to preservation. Be it affirmed then: FNPS is, dedicated to the identification, preservation and understanding of native plant communities.
Please click here for additional detail.

Water Policy: Conserve, Preserve, and Restore the Natural Hydrological Regimes of Florida’s Native Plant Communities

To protect, preserve, and restore our native plants and native plant communities, we must maintain the physical environment that supports them. The Florida Native Plant Society supports strong regulations and individual and community actions that will maintain or improve the natural hydrological regimes upon which our native plants rely.
Please click here for additional detail.

Transportation Infrastructure

Development of transportation-related infrastructure is a frequent cause of habitat destruction that threatens Florida’s native plant diversity. The Florida Native Plant Society supports thoughtful planning for the placement and design of new road corridors, airports, rail lines and other transportation infrastructure that ensures these facilities: 1) are consistent with regional needs and local comprehensive plans; 2) avoid natural areas that support significant biodiversity; 3) minimize habitat fragmentation; 4) will not impede resource management activities (e.g., prescribed burning) on nearby natural landscapes; 5) incorporate mitigation measures commensurate with the full scope of environmental impacts; and 6) are part of a long-term strategy to reduce transportation-associated carbon emissions.
Please click here for additional detail.

Exotic Pest Plant Policy

Draft policy revised June 25, 1992—In keeping with FNPS goals of the preservation, conservation, and restoration of native plants and native plant communities of Florida, the Society recognizes the serious threat that invasive exotic plants pose to the integrity and stability of native plant communities throughout the state.
Please click here for additional detail.

Arundo Donax Policy Statement

Adopted October 28, 2006 — The Florida Native Plant Society opposes the agricultural production of Arundo donax (giant reed, e-grass, bamboo reed, arundo grass, giant bamboo reed, etc.) as a biofuel in Florida due to its invasive characteristics and empirical evidence of impact on native plant communities. The Society further encourages the eradication of existing stands of this species and the banning of its sale as an ornamental to prevent invasion of native plant habitats in Florida.
Click here for the full policy and background document (pdf file).

Policy on Transplanting Native Plants from the Wild

Adopted November 19, 1988—FNPS does not approve of transplanting native plants form natural areas for landscaping, mitigation, or restoration purposes. Such transplanting is in direct conflict with the society's goal of preservation and conservation of native plants in their natural habitats.
Please click here for additional detail.

Florida Policy Links