Lawmakers propose $50 million to restore beaches

TALLAHASSEE — Beach restoration is the latest area targeted for a slice of the money voters set aside two years ago for environmental preservation.

Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, and Rep. Kathleen Peters, R-Treasure Island, announced Friday they want to match Gov. Rick Scott's request to allocate $50 million a year for beach restoration. The money would come from the state's Land Acquisition Trust Fund, which handles money from a 2014 constitutional amendment aimed at boosting land and water conservation.

The proposal (SB 1590 and HB 1213) would require the Department of Environmental Protection to develop a three-year plan for beach repairs. It also would refocus attention on sand management at inlets and rank the most serious erosion problems as priorities.

“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."

Read more: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/political-pulse/os-beach-restoration-funding-20170306-story.html