The 2011 Florida Legislative session was a brutal one for environmentalists in Florida. Although Governor Rick Scott hasn't shown much inclination to veto anything passed this spring, advocates are pressing him to reject SB 2142, which among its provisions, would remove the governor from having any authority over the five water management districts in the state (like Swiftmud in the Tampa Bay and the district that governs the Everglades in South Florida). This bill also cuts district budgets without the districts’ current public process.
Former Florida House Speaker Richard Pettygrew calls the bill a power grab by the state Legislature.
