March 2015 Archives

Funding Under Threat: Saving Affordable Housing

March 28, 2015

Florida lawmakers are not making many new friends these days with their handling of Amendment 1, the constitutional measure designed to promote the conservation of the state’s increasingly fragile natural resources.
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Press Release: Sadowski Coalition Applauds Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on TED for Recommending Full Funding of SHIP & SAIL in Budget Proposal

March 19, 2015

Tallahassee, Fla. – The Sadowski Housing Coalition today applauded the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development for including full funding for the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Program and State Apartment Incentive Loan (SAIL) Program in their Fiscal Year 2015-16 budget proposal. Specifically, the subcommittee’s budget proposal recommends that $153.6 million is allocated to SHIP, which includes $4 million to provide services to homeless persons, and $102.4 million is allocated to SAIL.
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Press Release: Sadowski Coalition Applauds Senate Appropriations Committee for Amending SB 586 to Not Hurt Affordable Housing

March 18, 2015

Tallahassee, Fla. – The Sadowski Housing Coalition today applauded the Senate Appropriations Committee for amending Senate Bill 586, sponsored by Senator Charlie S. Dean (R-Inverness), to not hurt affordable housing. As amended, SB 586, an Amendment 1 implementing bill, will ensure that the underlying distribution of documentary stamp revenues governed by section 201.15, Florida Statutes, will not reduce the doc stamp monies that go into the affordable housing trust funds.
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Amendment 1 Framework Almost Done

WUSF PBS/NPR Tampa | March 12, 2015

Lawmakers moved a step closer Wednesday to dividing up more than $750 million to meet the conservation demands of Amendment 1. The House and Senate are on a collision course over affordable housing and its piece of the pie.
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House, Senate taking different approaches to fund Amendment 1

Political Fix Florida | March 11, 2015

The House and Senate are crafting separate bills that take very different approaches to finding $750 million for the environment, a move that is required under a constitutional amendment passed by voters in November.
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Water bill splits House and Senate, but for how long?

Tampa Bay Times | March 11, 2015
Miami Herald | March 11, 2013

The House and Senate are drafting drastically different plans on how to spend Amendment 1 money that could only complicate efforts to come up with a comprehensive water policy.
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Transportation, Housing Funds Split Senate, House

Sunshine State News | March 11, 2015

Transportation and affordable-housing proponents remain concerned about a Senate proposal that would strip money from transportation and housing trust funds to help meet the requirements of a new land-and-water constitutional amendment.
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Senate, House begin identifying plans to pay for Amendment 1

Naples Daily News | March 11, 2015

Lawmakers split on money for transportation, housing

Palm Beach Post | March 11, 2015

Land and water conservation could come at expense of transportation, affordable-housing, advocates fear

Florida Times Union | March 11, 2015

Advocates for funding transportation and affordable-housing projects are concerned about losing money as the Florida Senate considers how to pay for the voter-mandated changes in the way land and water conservation is funded by the state.
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Affordable housing, transportation at odds with Senate plan on Amendment 1

Tampa Bay Times | March 11, 2015
Bradenton Herald | March 11, 2015

As is often the case early in session, the House and Senate are worlds apart, this time on Amendment 1.
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Senate panel member suggests Amendment 1 backers may have misled voters

Saint Peters Blog | March 11, 2015
Florida Politics | March 11

State Sen. Alan Hays on Wednesday sternly informed a Senate subcommittee audience that the Legislature had not neglected the environment in past years, and that Amendment 1 supporters may have misled Florida voters.
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Amendment 1 Framework Almost Done

WFSU PBS/NPR Tallahassee | March 11, 2015

Senate, House begin identifying plans to pay for Amendment 1

Naples Daily News | March 11, 2015

Funding Fight Splits Florida House, Senate

Lakeland Ledger | March 11, 2015

State Legislature: Off and running

Miami Herald | March 1, 2015

May the bipartisan bonhomie that a small group of Miami-Dade state lawmakers exhibited during a visit with the Editorial Board be infectious.
It’s that time of year again — the members of the Florida Legislature are about to take their seats in Tallahassee and conduct the state’s business. And to be clear, it’s none of the state’s business where its transgender residents want to go to the bathroom, one of the sillier, intrusive and time-wasting initiatives on tap. Plus, it seeks to criminalize people in gender transition. Lawmakers should dispose of that one — quickly. There are serious issues with which they must responsibly contend.
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10 major issues facing Florida’s Legislature

The Daytona Beach News Journal | March 1, 2015

With more than a $1 billion surplus, the 2015-16 state budget should present fewer obstacles to lawmakers. Yet how the money is spent will be sharply debated. Gov. Rick Scott has already made a large claim by pushing $673 million in tax cuts and calling for record spending on public schools in his $77 billion budget plan. Lawmakers will cut taxes and increase education funding – but the level is yet to be determined. Putting more pressure on the budget is a new constitutional amendment that will require the Legislature to spend $757 million on environmental programs. Lawmakers must do that without impacting other programs, such as affordable housing, that have previously counted on that funding. There is also uncertainty over the future of a $2.2 billion federal program that reimburses Florida hospitals that have large caseloads of poor and uninsured patients.
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