Florida League of Conservation Voters
P.O. Box 11033 Tallahassee, Florida 32302 Phone (850) 222-0592
FAX (850) 385-6536 FloridaLCV@comcast.net www.floridalcv.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OCTOBER 11, 2004

CONTACT: SUSIE CAPLOWE
(850) 222-0592

FLORIDA LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS RELEASES THE 2004 LEGISLATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL SCORECARD

TALLAHASSEE: Florida’s elected legislators are dramatically split, largely along party lines, when it comes to protecting the state’s environment, according to the 2004 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 2004 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 Tony Hill and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz in the Senate and Arthenia Joyner, Susan Bucher, and Anne Gannon in the House of Representatives. The Florida LCV awarded Senator Hill with its highest “Gold Star Award” for environmental leadership and for “fighting for the rights of citizens to change the constitution” and for “defending Government regulatory employees against the threat of misdemeanor charges for upholding the state’s pollution rules and regulations.” Representative Joyner and Senator Wasserman-Schultz were also awarded the gold star award for “fighting for Florida’s manatees” and other legislation.

The top-scoring Republican legislator was Senator Anna Cowin, who earned the fourth highest total score, the best record for a Republican in several years. The next top-scoring Republican Senator was Paula Dockery for her work on water policy and her support for preservation of the right of citizens to amend the state constitution by initiative.

Senator Alex Diaz de la Portilla earned the lowest score in the Senate, trailed closely by Senators Rod Smith, Ken Pruitt, and Michael Bennett. In the House of Representatives, the following legislators earned a three-way tie for the lowest score: Faye Culp, Donna Clarke, and Jennifer Carroll, closely followed by Lindsay Harrington.

Overall, Democratic members of the House of Representatives averaged a score of 66.6%, dramatically 32.6% higher than the Republican House members, who averaged 34.0%. Senators averaged 37.5% for Democrats and 31.4% for Republicans.

The League also recognized dozens of sponsorships of specific bills and amendments, some pro-environment and others anti-environment in their potential effect. The scorecard, published by FLCV for more than two decades, is widely recognized as one of the most comprehensive legislative scorecards 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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