Polluter_pays_amendment
Polluter pays amendment was passed negating the "polluter pays" provision of the Florida Constitution in 2003. The original provision required those in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) who cause water pollution to be responsible for paying the costs of that pollution's abatement.[1] The Supreme Court concluded that the provision requires "implementing legislation"; the Legislature has not adopted statutes implementing the provision, instead forcing taxpayers to pay 66% of the costs of dealing with contamination in the Everglades.[1][2]
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A study commissioned by the Everglades Foundation found that the agricultural industry is responsible for 76 percent of phosphorus contamination in the Everglades (the rest being urban runoff and wastewater), yet pays only 24 percent of the cost of dealing with it.[2] This is despite Florida's polluter-pays amendment requiring the polluters themselves to be "primarily responsible" for cleanup of the wetlands.[1]