“Unfortunately, over half of Florida’s sandy beaches are eroding, and only half of these miles of eroded beaches are part of a beach project,” Latvala, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a prepared statement. “We can point fingers or offer excuses, but the simple answer is not enough funding, and this bill addresses that.”
In recent years, the Legislature has provided $30 million a year to fight beach erosion. Scott in January requested $50 million for beach restoration as part of his proposed $83.5 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
Scott’s proposal was in addition to $15.8 million he released last year through an emergency order and another $61 million that is in his proposed budget to help communities impacted by hurricanes Hermine and Matthew.
Lawmakers will consider Scott’s budget proposals during the annual legislative session that starts Tuesday.
Backers of the 2014 constitutional amendment, known as Amendment 1, said that while they support efforts to safeguard water and land resources, they would like to see $150 million a year go to land conservation.
