Florida Forever Funding in Budget

House leaders agree to include $300 million in next year's budget for Florida Forever.

TALLAHASSEE — April 18, 2008 — Late yesterday (April 17), House members of the Budget Conference Committee agreed to include $300 million in Florida Forever funding in next year's budget. This represents an important, hard-won outcome for Florida Forever. Many thanks to everyone who contacted elected leaders and worked in other ways to urge them to fund Florida Forever.

The Nature Conservancy and its partners in the Florida Forever Coalition thank House leadership for agreeing to include Florida Forever funding in the final budget and are grateful to Senate leaders for their ongoing support. We urge all members of the Budget Conference Committee to agree with House and Senate leadership to include Florida Forever funding in the final budget when it comes for a final vote.

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 150 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.