Several state senators have proposed “to raid” the Preservation 2000 Fund, according to the St. Petersburg Times. Voters created the fund in 1990 to purchase pristine land in Florida.

Why raid these funds? Lack of state revenue lately, with a $1 billion shortfall, means the state needs more money to keep the Everglades Restoration going.

Despite opposition by Gov. Bush and statewide environmental groups, the proposal has passed the Senate Appropriations Committee.

State DEP secretary David Struhs said, “The move plays havoc with Everglades protection.” (Legal restrictions say the funds can only be used for buying land, not restoration.)

It was also reported that the senators overestimated how much remained in the Preservation Fund. A more accurate figure is about $100 million. Raiding the fund would leave the remaining 91 (land acquisition) projects with no funding. “There is land that won’t be bought (for protection), land that will disappear under concrete because of this,” says Nature Conservancy director Bob Bendrick.

Though Bush didn’t support this budget hijack, he reportedly has proposed separate cuts to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Non-Game Trust Fund, used to fund most of the state’s wildlife research and other programs.

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