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SCCF Announces 2025 Legislative Priorities

January 15, 2025
Legislative Priorities 2025 600x400 Final

As a nonprofit, science-based organization, SCCF is dedicated to the conservation and preservation of Sanibel and Captiva Islands, our watersheds, and surrounding waters. 

Each year during Florida’s legislative session, SCCF’s environmental policy department works to ensure the environment comes first by educating communities on important bills and empowering them to contact lawmakers. The policy team also advocates its priorities to key decision makers at the local, state, and federal levels. 

SCCF Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis presented SCCF’s legislative priorities for Florida’s 2025 legislative session (March 4 to May 2) at the Lee County Legislative Delegation Meeting on Jan. 9. In addition to asking for continued support for funding for Everglades restoration and other conservation projects, DePaolis expressed excitement at working with the delegation to ensure Florida is well situated to properly address the issues of water quality, wetland loss, home rule, and unchecked development. 

2025 Legislative Priorities

Conservation 

  • SCCF supports statutorily increased dedicated funding for the Florida Forever conservation and recreation lands program. Land conservation is critical for supporting Florida’s tourism and nature-based economy. 
  • SCCF supports the protection of existing conservation lands including aquatic preserves. 

Ecosystem Restoration 

Water Quality 

  • SCCF opposes weakening permitting requirements for development in wetlands, coastal high-hazard areas and other sensitive locations to ensure that adequate protections remain in place for natural resources. 
  • SCCF continues to support the passage of the Safe Waterways Act and will work with legislative sponsors and statewide partners to reintroduce legislation to keep Floridians informed about the health of their waterways. 
  • SCCF supports further improvements to statewide stormwater standards for development to meaningfully reduce runoff of pollutants such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended solids to protect water quality. 

Harmful Algal Blooms 

  • SCCF supports implementation and funding of the Blue-Green Algae Taskforce recommendations to address nutrient sources and innovative technologies to mitigate blooms. 
  • SCCF supports FWC’s Harmful Algal Bloom Task Force and funding for research and monitoring of red tide and other harmful algal blooms in Florida’s coastal waters. 
  • SCCF supports the reduction of manmade nutrients into our waterways through voluntary programs such as Best Management Practices (BMPs) and Septic to Sewer Conversions, as well as enhanced regulatory protections for our waters. 

Resiliency 

  • SCCF supports protections to net metering and other incentives to the implementation of roof-top solar for individuals.
  • SCCF supports the monitoring of the implementation of the Resilient Florida Program to ensure that grant funding is being spent thoughtfully on solutions to climate change.
  • SCCF continues to support a ban on oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and a transition to energy sources that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

Community Self-Governance 

  • SCCF supports Home Rule and opposes any statewide pre-emption policies that would restrict the ability of local governments to regulate land use local ordinances, such as fertilizer restrictions, to protect our natural resources. 
  • SCCF supports maintaining the public’s ability to meaningfully participate in agency permitting decisions and opposes automatically awarding prevailing parties attorney’s fees in such cases. 
  • SCCF supports protecting the ability of the public to participate in self-governance. 

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