News & Reports

Reports and Resources
More information and background on the issues related to Florida Forever and conservation in Florida are available from the reports and Web sites listed below.

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Reports

Florida Forever by the Numbers
This document outlines the of dollar amounts associated with the current and proposed Florida Forever program as of April 17, 2008.

How Much Can We Borrow for Florida Forever?
The 2007 Debt Affordability Report and the March 2008 Update review the state's debt position. While the report shows that the state will have less capacity to borrow, the amount of borrowing for the environment is relatively small (at about 10 percent) in comparison to other infrastructure projects like transportation. An incremental increase in environmental borrowing — which has been authorized by the legislature — would not have a dramatic impact on the overall borrowing picture and could result in millions of dollars of needed funding to save lands that are on the market today that won't be available in the future.

Report: Florida Parks in the 21st Century 2008
Florida Parks in the 21st Century 2008, a report based on data provided directly from city and county park departments, suggests that the need for local parks in Florida is growing. Local park departments have documented $10.5 billion they'll need to acquire land for new parks and maintain existing parks. Co-authored by The Trust for Public Land, Florida Recreation and Park Association, Florida League of Cities, and Florida Association of Counties.

Report: Florida 2060
With close to 18 million residents in 2005, Florida already is overwhelmed with the ramifications of rampant sprawl, rapidly vanishing natural areas, and overcrowded roads. What will Florida look like in 2060, when its population is projected to reach almost 36 million? To help address this question, 1000 Friends of Florida contracted with the University of Florida's GeoPlan Center to develop a "population distribution scenario" for the state. 1000 Friends also contracted with the Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development at the Georgia Institute of Technology to provide guidance to state leadership and citizens on how to deal with this growth in a more proactive manner.

Report: Protecting Wild Florida, Preserving the Best and Last Wilderness of Florida, Forever
This report from The Nature Conservancy calls for protecting an additional 2 million acres to secure the health of Florida’s major natural systems.

Resources

Web sites
Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Online Sunshine (Web site of the Florida Legislature)

Governor Crist’s Web Site

Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission