[CPEO-BIF] Florida "Brownfield loophole won't get tightened this year"

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Brownfield loophole won't get tightened this year

By Sandra Pedicini
Orlando Sentinel (FL)
February 12, 2013

It looks like Florida businesses will still be able to get pollution- 
related tax breaks for building on land even where there is no proof  
of contamination.

Despite concerns raised about the practice, proposed bills filed in  
the Legislature (HB 415, SB 554) tweaking the state's brownfield  
program make no substantial changes to the definition of a brownfield.

When local governments declare land a brownfield so businesses can  
get tax breaks, there doesn't have to be any actual contamination -  
just the perception of it. Companies such as Publix have taken  
advantage of that to build on land with no evidence of pollution.

Under the proposed legislation, "local governments would still be  
able to designate just about any piece of land as a brownfield," said  
Dan Krassner, executive director of incentives-watchdog group  
Integrity Florida, in an email. "What benefit does the brownfield  
designation have for communities other than the offer of taxpayer  
handouts to corporations?"

...

For the entire article, see
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-brownfield- 
bill-florida-20130212,0,292060.story

--

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

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