Sen. Bill Nelson Visits Sarasota

Throughout the town hall meeting of U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D) Thursday at Sarasota's Historic Asolo Theater, the theme of progress being wrapped up in "partisan politics" continued to creep into the discussion.

Nelson spoke of how he prides himself as a political moderate to a crowd of politicians and civic leaders at the museum for a town hall — instead of opting for a visit with President Barack Obama in Orlando that was also scheduled for Thursday.

Here are highlights from what Nelson keyed in on:

Florida Right to Vote

"You're right to vote is being challenged," Nelson told the crowd. "And it's happening right under our nose and only a few people are paying attention."

Nelson has issue with the state law Gov. Rick Scott (R) passed that prevents groups like the League of Women Voters from having voter drives to register voters, as the  Groups can be fined if they conduct such drives.

"Although this is a matter in a federal court in Washington, by the time they render a decision, it's going to be summer and of course the league and other people like the league have lost an entire year to register people," he said.

That same bill also does the following:

• reduce in the days of early voting,

• ends a provision that allows a voter to change their address between counties on Election Day; and

• vote by regular instead of provisional ballot.

For the early voting measure, some see that it discourages black voters through elimination of early voting on Sunday before a Tuesday election when early voting was cut from 14 days to eight days to save money. 

"You've read the stories that a certain ethnic group votes in record numbers after church on the Sunday before election . It's hard to believe this is going on in America in 2011 and now into 2012 under the guise that we want to stop fraud," he said. "There's no evidence of any major fraud. You know what it is — it's partisan politics at its worse all wrapped up in a presidential election cycle."

Nelson said Florida's measures are threatening a "cherished Constitutional right."

"We ought to make it easier to vote," he said. "That's just partisan politics."

These changes are related to the federal Voting Act of 1965  and a measure called "preclearance." OmWatch.org explains:

"It requires those states to get federal approval before changing election rules or procedures, due to past laws and practices that discriminated against and disenfranchised racial minorities. This provision is referred to as the "preclearance" provision."

The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida and Project Vote last year sued to block House Bill 1355 that included all these changes.

Hillsborough, Hardy, Collier, Monroe and Hendry counties must obtain federal approval before changing election rules or procedures due to past discrimination. However, the rest of the counties in the Florida do not have to obtain that approval whereas other states affected by the measure, Section 5 of the Voting Act of 1965, are covered in their entirety. That means Sarasota wouldn't have to get initial federal approval. 

Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area

Interior Secretary Ken Salaza announced Wednesday the first land to start the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area, and Nelson explained the significance to Florida.

Years of redirecting water from Lake Okeechobee area south from marsh into ditches and guided by dikes, the water collected pollution and eliminated the marsh grasses that would filter pollution from the Kissimmee River flowing to the Everglades.

The agricultural on the southside of Lake Okeechobee contributed runoff to the pollution, too.

"Its ecology we do not even phantom its effect on planet Earth," Nelson said. "

When completed, the refuge will include 150,000 acres that will touch and connect additional wildlife refuges and into the Florida Panther habitat near Naples, he said.

Two-thirds of the acreage, or 100,000 acres, will be protected through conservation easements purchased from willing sellers. With easements, private landowners would retain ownership of their land, as well as the right to work the land to raise cattle or crops. The easements would ensure the land could not be developed.

"The goal for the ranchers is they can continue their way of life. If you moved to Florida recently, you don't realize that ranching is a big, big way of life. They can continue their way of life from their generations of their family and continue using best practices and sell development rights so that they can continue ranching," Nelson said. "The environmentalists are so happy because then it keeps the land in its natural state so Mother Nature can do what she does, which is cleanse the water as it moves south."

Nelson said the taxpayers save because it's cheaper and safer than digging filtering ponds.

Burmese Python Ban

Related to the Everglades conservation is the federal ban of the Burmese python and three other constrictors — yellow anaconda and northern and southern African pythons — that was announced Tuesday.

The snake is noted for a quick gestation period and one where females and lay dozens of eggs, he noted.

"They found one 17-foot female and she had 56 eggs in her," Nelson said.

The South Florida Sun Sentinel reported that the python has caused headaches for South Florida, especially when it was discovered the species can also swim in saltwater:

"Pythons consume native wildlife and compete with native predators. One was found last October to have just consumed an adult deer. A recent study suggests they’re sufficiently tolerant of salt water to swim to the Florida Keys, where several pythons have been captured. Although hunters and rangers kill pythons when they find them, no one expects the snakes to be eradicated from the South Florida.

Florida has already banned personal ownership of Burmese pythons and several other snakes, grandfathering in those owned before the ban took effect on July 1, 2010."

Nelson noted how destructive it to Florida species beyond deer.

"They found the endangered Key Largo Woodrat in one of them," he said. "They have found bobcats in them, and it's just a matter of time — if it hasn't happened already — to have consumed one of the endangered Florida Panthers."

Nelson said he had tried to pass the law before, but was blocked by lobbyists from pet stores that didn't want restrictions on what they could sale.

The Everglades superintendent believes there are 150,000 of these harmful snakes in the Everglades, he added.

Beach Nourishment Funds

David Smith, with city of Sarasota asked for Nelson's and Congress' support for funds for beach renourishment along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts.

Sarasota is in the midst of a Lido Beach renourishment project that the Army Corps of Engineering is drafting, designing and permitting, but Congress will need approve funds for construction, Smith said.

The elimination of earmarks hinders the senator's ability to easily get that money approve, Nelson said.

"That's taking away my obligation as your elected representative to request an appropriation for the good of my constituency that I would see that some bureaucrat in the Army Corps of Engineers in Washington could not see," Nelson said. "I have done that amply when I thought it was appropriate."

Nelson noted the Interstate 75 expansion between Naples and Ft. Myers and the  to alleviate truck traffic in Ybor City into the Port of Tampa are funded through earmarks.