Budget Conference Committee Convenes Today

Fate of next year's Florida Forever funding to be decided.

TALLAHASSEE, FL — April 17, 2008 — Today, members of the Conference Committee begin meeting to reconcile the Senate and House budgets. These lawmakers will decide whether Florida Forever will receive funding.

Last week both the House and Senate passed their full state budgets for Fiscal Year 08-09, which begins on July 1 this year.

The Senate budget bill includes $300 million for Florida Forever. The House budget, however, does not contain any funding for Florida Forever.

The Nature Conservancy and the Florida Forever Coalition are urging members of the Conference Committee to include Florida Forever funding in the FY08-09 budget. The members are:

Sen. JD Alexander
Rep. Ray Sansom
Rep. Stan Mayfield
Sen. Alfred "Al" Lawson, Jr.
Sen. Dave Aronberg
Sen. Carey Baker
Sen. Michael S. "Mike" Bennett
Sen. Mike Haridopolos
Sen. Dennis L. Jones
Rep. Baxter G. Troutman
Rep. Debbie Boyd
Rep. Mary Brandenburg
Rep. Richard "Rich" Glorioso
Rep. Denise Grimsley
Rep. Will S. Kendrick
Rep. Paige Kreegel
Rep. Stephen L. Precourt
Rep. Scott Randolph
Rep. Anthony P. "Tony" Sasso III
Rep. Trudi K. Williams
Sen. Lisa Carlton

For more information, visit the Florida Forever Coalition Web site.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. With funding from the voter approved Florida Forever program and our generous donors the Conservancy has helped protect more than 1.2 million acres in Florida since 1961. Visit us on the Web at nature.org/florida.

The Florida Forever Coalition is an organization of more than 100 groups that cross all stakeholders. More than half of Florida’s 67 counties and 19 cities have passed resolutions in support of Florida Forever and the need for a successor program. For more information visit www.supportfloridaforever.org.