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November, 1998, Florida voters overwhelmingly approved a number of amendments to the Florida constitution. One of these, Amendment 5, mandates that all wildlife management and protection be carried out under a single, constitutionally-established agency to be called the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The idea for this new agency originated from recreational fishing organizations that wanted to merge the Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission and the Marine Fisheries Commission — which the amendment does. However, the final version of the amendment stated that ALL marine wildlife programs in Florida are to be moved into the new agency, and this will likely include the Bureau of Protected Species and its Marine Turtle Protection Program (MTPP). The scientific functions of the Florida Marine Research Institute, including its sea turtle scientists, are also likely to be moved.
It is important to remember that Amendment 5 was written with the intention of not only unifying, but “improving the effectiveness” of wildlife protection in Florida. And with over 70% of voters approving the measure, it was essentially a mandate from Floridians to the State to do a better job of protecting wildlife.
Unfortunately, the details of how this new agency is to be set up and what sort of regulatory authority will be retained by the Bureau of Protected Species is being sorted out by the 1999 Florida Legislature. And that means almost anything can happen! The Sea Turtle Survival League believes the entire sea turtle conservation community should pay close attention to this agency reshuffling. Florida host over 90% of all sea turtle nesting in the continental United States, and the MTPP plays a major role in regulating activities that affect the species and their nesting habitat.
Currently, the Natural Resources Committees in both the Florida House of Representatives and the Senate are fine tuning legislation that creates the new Commission. As of February, 1999, both versions of the merger bill transfer the entire Bureau of Protected Species and the Florida Marine Research Institute. However, the Senate and House bills differ in how they treat the transfer. In fact, the one in the House could actually weaken the program.
The Sea Turtle Survival League will be coordinating lobbying efforts during the upcoming legislative session aimed at maintain the current level of staffing and management authority of the Bureau of Protected Species. Among other things, this means making sure that if the regulatory wing of Marine Turtle Program is, in fact, moved, then the scientific personnel and functions should also be moved. This is important for a number of reasons — in particular, for ensuring that the Program can continue to competently review and comment on permits for activities that will affect sea turtles or their habitats. It will also ensure that the Program can continue coordinating research efforts such as the Marine Turtle Stranding Program and the Index Nesting Surveys.
Another of STSL’s goals will be to make sure that all revenues from the Sea Turtle License Plate, which so many worked hard to establish, continue to be directed toward the MTPP and not siphoned off for other, unrelated state programs.
The details on how the different versions of the merger bill affect the turtle program are just beginning to be available. But as STSL finds out more, and as potential threats to the program arise during the course of the legislative session, STSL will keep in touch with interested people and groups through e-mail action alerts and through postings on the web site.
State employees are prohibited from lobbying on behalf of their own program, so if the Marine Turtle Protection Program is to be kept intact, those of us in the broader conservation community will have to do the lobbying for them. If we don’t pay attention, the MTPP could be splintered into several ineffective sections. Or the program’s ability to prevent activities, such as sea walls that threaten sea turtle habitat, could be eliminated or weakened. And that would set back marine turtle conservation in Florida for decades!
HOW YOU CAN HELP
You can help make sure the Marine Turtle Protection Program remains strong and viable by contacting the Florida legislators and agency heads listed to the right. In addition, you can stay on top of this issue by keeping an eye out for future STSL action alerts and by regularly checking this section of the CCC web site. Soon, we will also have a sign-on e-mail letter that you can send directly from the web page.
People to Contact in Support of Florida's Marine Turtle Protection Program
Representative J.D. Alexander, Chairman
Committee on Water & Resource Management
Florida House of Representatives
214 House Office Building
Tallahassee, FL 32399
(850) 488-9465
Senator Charlie Bronson, Chairman
Natural Resources Committee
Florida Senate
414 Senate Office Building
Tallahassee, FL 32399
(850) 487-5372
Dr. Allan Egbert
Executive Director
Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission
620 S. Meridian Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1600
(850) 487-3796
David B. Struhs, Secretary
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
3900 Commonwealth Blvd.
Tallahassee, FL 32399-3000
(850) 488-4805
Russ Nelson
Executive Director
Florida Marine Fisheries Commission
2540 Executive Center Circle, W, Stuite 106
Tallahassee, FL 32301
(850) 487-0554
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide on this issue!
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