TALLAHASSEE: Florida's elected legislators are dramatically split, largely along party lines, when it comes to protecting the state’s environment, according to the 2002 Environmental Scorecard released today. The rankings, compiled by the Florida League of Conservation Voters, documented thousands of votes during this year's legislative session and tabulated a record number of low-scoring legislators.

Florida LCV president Nancy Brown of Tallahassee summarized the 2002 session as "particularly vicious against environmental protection laws in Florida." She pointedly blamed "scores of special interest legislators who attempted to roll back decades of environmental protection and citizens' rights."

The League's leaders recognized several legislators for pro-environmental records this year, including top-scoring Debbie Wasserman Schultz in the Senate and Cindy Lerner in the Florida House. The Florida LCV awarded Wasserman Schultz its highest "Gold Star Award" for environmental leadership and for "sponsoring and fighting for the Florida Manatee" and other legislation.

The top-scoring Republican legislator was Representative Larry Crow of Dunedin, who earned the fourth highest total score, the best record for a Republican in several years. Second highest scores in the respective chambers were recorded by Senator Tom Rossin, last year's top Senator, and Representative Sara Romeo of Tampa.

The lowest scores were Senator Bill Posey and Representative Joe Spratt, both of whom sponsored the most controversial two pieces of legislation this year. Posey pushed the unsuccessful Anti-Manatee Protection bill supported by boating manufacturers, and Spratt sponsored one of his perennial Anti-Citizen Enforcement bills limiting citizens' and communities' challenges to environmental pollution permits.

The most recorded votes documented the passage of the Anti-Citizen bills,
featuring different House and Senate votes on the Summary Scorecard. In all, thousands of votes and hundreds of "sponsorships" were tabulated on such issues as transportation, water resources, growth management, Everglades restoration funding and a proposed ban on arsenic in playground wood.

The report summarized the final outcome of the tumultuous session by blaming Governor JEB Bush for failing to veto three bills on transportation, outdoor billboards and the anti-citizen legislation stapled onto the Everglades bill the final day of session. "At least, the Governor did veto the misuse of funds from the state's land-buying programs which legislators had re-appropriated into the general budget to make up for another round of tax cuts and revenue shortfalls," explained Brown.

The League also recognized dozens of pro-environment sponsorships of bills and amendments, varying among such sponsors as: Crow and Wasserman Schultz for the Arsenic in playgrounds bill & their amendments trying to prevent the elimination of the right of the individual to challenge a permit for pollution; conservative Republican leader Johnny Byrd for his legislative reform bill which would have ended last-minute legislative "trains" by mandating a 48-hour cooling off period for all legislation; Senate President John McKay and Representative Lois Frankel for the tax reform proposals; Representative Paula Dockery for distributing a pledge to discourage future raids on P2000 and Florida Forever funds; Representative Chris Smith for advocating an unsuccessful fix to Florida's new "provisional ballot"; and Senator Al Lawson and a diverse list of representatives who sponsored the Florida Clean Elections Act promoting spending limits and alternative campaign financing for legislative and statewide elections.

The scorecard published by FLCV for more than two decades is widely recognized as the most comprehensive scorecard in the country. This year the League is offering the scorecard's summary scores on their website www.FloridaLCV.org.

FLORIDA LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS IS A NON-PARTISAN POLITICAL WATCHDOG ORGANIZATION, COMPRISED OF A NETWORK OF LEADERS FROM ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC INTEREST ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT FLORIDA. FLCV IS MORE THAN 27 YEARS OLD AND IS MADE UP OF VOLUNTEERS. FLCV IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY NATIONAL ORGANIZATION.

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