Cabinet Members, Legislators Support Florida Forever Successor

Florida Forever Coalition hosts Capitol event to highlight Florida’s conservation lands.

TALLAHASSEE, FL — March 18, 2008 — Florida Cabinet members joined Legislators and agency heads today at a rally in support of the Florida Forever program and the need to create a successor.

“Florida Forever Day” at the Capitol included displays from environmental groups, Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection, Division of Forestry, Florida Park Service, Florida Communities Trust, and other governmental and private agencies that support Florida’s great success in protecting more than 2 million acres so far and the need to do more.

Florida Forever, the state’s nationally known program for buying conservation and recreation lands, is essentially out of money for its final two years.

Attorney General Bill McCollum said he supports doing what is necessary to protect the important lands selected for Florida Forever acquisition that remain unfunded. “I am a native Floridian. My dad was before me. There is nothing more important to our quality of life than to preserve these lands,” he said. “You will find no one more dedicated than me.”

Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink spoke of Florida’s natural beauty, from the Blackwater River to the Florida Keys, much of it already protected through Florida Forever and its predecessor Preservation 2000. She said 70 percent of Floridians believe in protecting conservation lands and that we need to extend the program to “save our beautiful Florida for the future.” She and many other speakers focused on the opportunity to extend the bonding authority for Florida Forever this year, rather than it receiving a cash outlay, and paying the bonds back overtime. “We know we are in a tough fiscal period that will not last forever,” she said.

Agriculture Commission Charles Bronson spoke of the importance of “saving that open green space,” and talked about other tools available such as conservation easements, where landowners continue to manage the land. He stressed issues like invasive species and the knowledge landowners have to remove the pests more efficiently and cost-effectively than the state can.

Sen. Burt Saunders (R-Naples) said he recognizes Florida’s continuing growth — more than 700 new residents a day — and the importance of matching that demand with protected resources. Saunders will sponsor the Senate bill this session to seek a successor, or “at least a commitment,” he said.
Rep. Will Kendrick (R-Carrabelle), chair of the House Conservation and State Lands Committee, expressed the importance of improving the management of state lands

Rep. Dan Gelber (D-Miami Beach) said he considers Florida Forever “one of the few programs for the next generation and beyond.”

Rep. Richard Machek (D-Delray Beach) and Rep. Mary Brandenburg (D-West Palm Beach) also spoke.
“This is not just an investment in land but in our future,” said Jeff Danter, state director of The Nature Conservancy. “There are lands uniquely available today that won’t be there tomorrow.”

The Florida Forever Coalition sponsored Florida Forever Day, an organization of more than 70 groups that cross all stakeholders. More than half of Florida’s 67 counties and 16 cities have also passed resolutions in support of Florida Forever and the need for a successor program. For more information visit www.supportfloridaforever.org.