Support water conservation funding

Florida's Soil and Water Conservation Districts are facing budgetary cuts that would significantly reduce our ability to perform our obligations. Please contact your representatives in the State House and Senate and let them know you support continued funding for these vital state agencies.

Sample letter:

Dear Representative

As an Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Committee member or Representative, we felt it imperative to send you this information for consideration. Your support can help provide critical help to Florida’s Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

Please see our urgent request to help over 300 public officials, 60 districts and 60 employees with a renewal of our contract of only $50,000 with Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Office of Agriculture Water Policy.

This critical contract is the ONLY statewide source of information to help Florida’s soil and water conservation districts, keeping them in operation and in compliance with state requirements. As you may already know, these districts and programs provide millions through private, state and federal dollars which benefit the state and citizens of Florida.

Many of our soil and water conservation districts have lost their county funding and this is the only statewide help they receive.

$50,000
Contract Funding Renewal 2009

Request: Renewal of Association of Florida Conservation District’s (AFCD) $50,000 Contract for support services to ALL of Florida’s Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Office of Agriculture Water Policy. (FDACS/OAWP)

The funding provided through this contract helps support:
300 Public Officials throughout the state of Florida
60 Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD), which are governmental subdivisions of the State of Florida
68 SWCD District Employees
This is the only funding assistance that goes directly to ALL of our SWCDs. No funds have ever been allocated through the State of Florida to directly assist districts in their mission to implement soil and water conservation practices within their districts.
This contract supports the 300 unpaid elected officials whose districts and programs provide millions through private, state and federal dollars which benefit the state and citizens of Florida.
This contact helps to keep districts in compliance. For instance, if any of our districts are dissolved, due to non-compliance, FDACS has the financial statutory responsibility to create a new district which could possibly cost millions to the Florida taxpayers.
According to F.S. 582.055 and582.08 the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Office of Agricultural Water Policy is to provide assistance to Florida Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
Critical Services Provided by Contract
o Supervisor and Employee Training Presentation which include Supervisor’s powers, duties and legal responsibilities; Supervisor Elections; Sunshine Law; history of districts; conservation programs including cooperative programs, demonstration projects, educational workshops, education programs, and planning and rulemaking; personnel management; funding sources through grants, sponsors, donations, cooperative agreements, and county funding; and compliance and operating procedures. These workshops have been held for individual districts, regions, and for statewide audiences.
o Supporting SWCDs in fulfilling statutory requirements with regards to reporting including: Annual Financial Report through the Department of Financial Services; Independent Audit and reporting for the Auditor General, Special District Fee and Report for the Department of Community Affairs, Division of Treasury Form 014-1009, among others.
o Update a quarterly roster of all the District offices, current elected Supervisors, employees, District Conservationists, and Extension Agents to provide partnership and outreach.
o Review and provide current information for SWCD Supervisor Handbooks.
o Respond to hundreds of requests from District staff and officials for critical District operation information.
o Supervisor Handbook Distribution
o Best Management Practices (BMP) manual distribution.
This contract of $50,000 provides the ONLY source of information for Soil and Water Conservation Districts Statewide.