If you thought the $740 million of money this year was going to be used to strictly buy conservation lands, you will be surprised. State Representative Jason Brodeur, R-Sanford, says they went to the Florida Supreme Court to clarify. "Now if somebody misinterprets what was in Amendment 1, I would encourage them to read the amendment or read what was in the Supreme Court opinion. I think it will become very clear to them."
So in this latest fiscal year, $162 million -- more than 20 percent of the money collected for the Fund -- will go to pay the salaries of employees at the Department of Environmental Protection, Forestry, and Fish and Wildlife. These are not new positions. They are jobs that used to be paid from General Revenue tax funds.