Lawmakers in the Florida Senate have filed a new bill that'll be taken up during their June special session to spend $50 million a year on Sun Trail, a statewide network of trails devoted to joggers, walkers and bikers.
“I certainly wish they would, in general, improve the infrastructure to allow more people to do whatever it is other than driving, whether it's being able to walk places, ride places, you know, public transportation, whatever, just so we're not so dependent on the car and people can choose their own method of transportation,” said Zach Douglas, bicyclist.
Half of the money to build the trails would come out of Amendment 1, the $10 billion water and land conservation measure overwhelmingly approved by voters.
Environmentalists are prodding lawmakers to buy hundreds of millions of dollars worth of land near the Everglades they say would help clean up water in places like the Indian River Lagoon in central Florida and the Green Swamp in Tampa Bay.
“This is a legislature that likes to brag about getting things done. Well, this is the unfinished job and this is what Amendment One is there for, is to help to protect the Green Swamp,” said Eric Draper, Audubon of Florida.
Environmental advocates say they're not outright opposed to funding the trail network through Amendment one. But, for that to happen, they want lawmakers to devote at least $100 million a year to buying land, with the goal of cleaning up the state's water supply.