Government Digest

600 positions cut in budget
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY — There's $120 million less in this year's $3.5 billion county budget, meaning 600 fewer county jobs. County agencies face more cuts next year. The approved tax rate of 10.7614 mills keeps the county's streak of 15 consecutive years of reducing the millage rate alive. The tax rate is equivalent to about $10.76 per $1,000 of property value.

New panther petition filed
COLLIER COUNTY — Three conservation organizations have jointly filed a legal petition with the federal government to protect an estimated 90 to 100 Florida panthers. The petition is similar to the one filed by the Conservancy of Southwest Florida last January and if approved would require additional federal agency permits to build or develop in an area covering three zones of about 1.1 million acres over much of Lee, Collier and Hendry counties. The Center for Biological Diversity, a national non-profit that won critical habitat protection for more than 100 million acres, is joined in the petition by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and Council of Civic Associations. To see the petition, go to conservancy.org.

Big Cypress plan review
COLLIER COUNTY — A group of property owners agreed to contribute $10,000 for a Tallahassee attorney's data and analysis review of a proposed county comprehensive plan amendment. The work is needed to ultimately allow development of the new town of Big Cypress. The commission accepted the offer from the Eastern Collier Property Owners on a 5-0 vote Sept. 15. In April, in a 3-2 vote, the commission approved moving forward with a 2002 plan to allow 404,000 development credits for 45,000 acres. The plan would allow property owners to earn development credits for setting aside conservation and agricultural land or preserving Florida panther habitat. Final approval, which may not happen before 2012, requires a supermajority vote of at least 4-1.