Jono Miller: Saving Myakka Ranchlands is the Essence of Amendment 1

Only about half the Sarasotans who could have registered and voted on Amendment 1, the Florida Water and Land Conservation Initiative, last November actually did so. We’ll never know why around 175,000 Sarasotans 18 and over let others weigh in for them, but it’s a fair guess that many concluded their vote wasn’t likely to make a difference. This explanation frustrates civic-minded individuals who feel low voter turnout is a shameful embarrassment. Now, however, new reports from Tallahassee suggests the “it doesn’t matter how I vote” crowd may be right, at least in some cases.
Consider these recent editorial headlines: “Florida Leaders Failing Voters on Land Conservation Amendment With Improper Projects” (Bradenton Herald) or “Stunning Disregard for Voters’ Will” (Tampa Tribune).
Amendment 1 supporters had good reason to believe it wouldn’t be hard to reach the 60 percent threshold needed to adopt the amendment. After all, Floridians love their parks and preserves and knew that, when the economy headed south, the state really backed off on protecting natural lands (even though that would have been the best time to buy).
So the Amendment 1 supporters pressed their campaign to demonstrate overwhelming support for the Land and Water Legacy Amendment, a grass-roots initiative that grew out of frustration with the Legislature and governor, who had dropped the ball on Florida Forever, the program that had led the nation in protecting native habitat.
For those willing to round upward, the ballot measure passed four to one in Sarasota County. For sticklers, it garnered 78.09 percent of the vote, a seldom-reached plurality. That was great news for Sarasota, which has two highly ranked Florida Forever sites awaiting funding, and another just on the other side of the county line in Manatee County.
Whether legislators are actually vindictive and want to punish voters for taking matters into their own hands or merely prefer to take the most expansive, most liberal possible interpretation of the amendment is hard to say.