A key Northeast Florida senator wants to set aside $35 million a year to help pay for projects to restore the St. Johns River, its tributaries or lakes in the Keystone Heights region. Sen. Rob Bradley, a Fleming Island Republican who is chairman of the Senate Environment and Natural Resources 
Appropriations Subcommittee, proposed the measure Tuesday for consideration during the legislative session that starts March 7. The proposal (SB 234) would receive money from the state’s Land Acquisition Trust Fund, which is used to carry out a 2014 constitutional amendment aimed at water and land conservation. The proposal is at least somewhat similar to money that lawmakers have earmarked for Everglades projects, natural springs and Lake Apopka. Under Bradley’s bill, the money could be used for land management and acquisition and improvements in recreational opportunities and public access.
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