Florida
Forever Updates
Visit
this page often for reports, press
release and the latest action by
the Florida Forever Coalition to
support the creation of a Florida
Forever successor program.
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July
1, 2008: Florida
Forever Becomes Law — Governor
Crist signed into
law late Monday Senate
bill 542, which extends
the Florida Forever
program through 2020
at $300 million a
year. The new law
goes into effect
today.
June
19, 2008: Florida
Forever Bill Presented
to Governor — The
Legislature formally
presented the Florida
Forever successor
bill (Senate bill
542) to Governor
Crist today. The
governor has until
July 4 to sign the
bill, allow it to
become law without
his signature or
veto it. The Florida
Forever Coalition
expects the Governor
to sign the bill
as early as next
week.
May
2, 2008: Legislative
Session Concludes — The
2008 Legislative
Session of the Florida
Legislature ended
today at approximately
6 p.m. Earlier today,
the Senate approved
the FY 2008-2009
State budget, which
the House approved
yesterday. The budget
includes the approximately
$8 million needed
to launch $300 million
in bonds for Florida
Forever next year,
and $50 million for
Everglades restoration.
Both the House and
Senate earlier unanimously
approved legislation
(Senate bill 542)
to extend the Florida
Forever program through
2020 at $300 million
a year.
April 30, 2008: House
Passes Florida Forever
Bill — At
9:45 a.m. today the
House
unanimously passed
the Florida Forever
successor bill (Senate
bill 542) without
amendment. This is
the final legislative
step for this bill,
which the governor
is expected to sign.
April
18 — House
leaders agree to
include $300 million
in next year's
budget for Florida Forever. 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.
April
17 — Budget
Conference Committee Convenes Today. The fate
of Florida Forever funding for next
year will be decided in a Budget
Conference Committee beginning Thursday,
April 17. Members of the Conference
Committee were appointed on April
16. The House budget for Fiscal Year
2008-09 DOES NOT CONTAIN ANY FUNDING
FOR FLORIDA FOREVER. Under the House
budget, Florida Forever would effectively
end on July 1, 2008. (The Senate
budget bill includes $300 million
for Florida Forever.) Find
out how you can help.
April
16 — Senate Action on
Florida Forever Successor Bill. On
April 16, the Florida Senate gave
initial passage to the Florida Forever
successor bill (Senate bill 542).
The bill reauthorizes Florida Forever
for 10 years at $300 million annually.
The changes made to the bill included
1) the retention of the the Florida
Communities Trust as a program of
the Department of Community Affairs;
2) the creation of a $5 million annual "working
waterfronts" land acquisition
program at the Department of Community
Affairs; and 3) the expansion of
the existing Acquisition and Restoration
Council (ARC) from nine to 11 members.
The progress to date on this bill
is due to the strong leadership of
Senate President Ken Pruitt and Environmental
Preservation Committee Chair Burt
Saunders. The Florida Forever Coalition
strongly supports the Senate's Florida
Forever successor bill. Find out
how you can help.
April
7 — House
Proposes No Money
for Florida Forever. The House budget
DOES NOT CONTAIN
FUNDING FOR FLORIDA
FOREVER NEXT
YEAR. This represents
a serious misstep
by the Legislature – Florida
Forever needs
a small amount
of General Revenue
in order to borrow
up to $300 million
for land buys.
It has the potential
to cripple Florida’s
highly successful
land acquisition
efforts — on
July 1 of this
year! To its
credit, the Senate
has under consideration
a draft budget
that contains
$300 million
in borrowing
for Florida Forever.
Both Senate and
House are considering
draft bills to
reauthorize Florida
Forever for 10
years at $300
million a year.
While this reauthorization
is less than
the Florida Forever
Coalition has
sought, and while
we continue to
assert the overwhelming
needs for land
acquisition funding,
we favor enactment
of this Florida
Forever successor
program. Find
out how you can
help.
March
27, 2008 — Florida
Forever Coalition
Growing, Surpasses
100-Member Mark. More
than 92 percent
of Florida’s
residents live
in counties that
support Florida
Forever.
March 26, 2008 — Trust
for Public Land
Opposes Transfer
of FCT. In
a letter to Rep.
Will Kendrick,
Trust for Public
Land Florida
State Director
Greg Chelius
explains why
moving Florida
Communities Trust
(FCT) out of
the Department
of Community
Affairs would
jeopardize
FCT's continued
success.
March 25, 2008 — DCA
Secretary Pelham
Outlines Concerns
About FCT Transfer. In his
letter to Rep.
Will
Kendrick, Department
of Community
Affairs Secretary
Tom Pelham outlines
concerns about
proposed legislation
that would transfer
the Florida Communities
Trust program
from the Department
of Community
Affairs to another
state agency.
March
18, 2008 — Cabinet
Members, Legislators
Support Florida
Forever Successor.
Florida Forever Coalition
hosts Capitol
event
to highlight
Florida’s
conservation
lands.
March
5, 2008 — Crist,
Pruitt Call for
a Successor to
Florida Forever.
In his annual
State of the
State address
Gov. Crist emphasized
the need to protect
Florida's environment
by renewing the
Florida Forever
program. "We
must maintain
our commitment
to protect Florida's
natural beauty
and resources.
We must establish
a successor to
Florida Forever," the
Gov. said during
his annual
address to the
legislature.
Senate President
Ken Pruitt also
called for the
continuation
of Florida Forever
during his
opening remarks: "We
have made tremendous
investments in
our precious
environment,
including the
Northern Everglades
Act passed just
last year, and
we plan to continue
the efforts.
Our focus this
year will be
creating a successor
program to Florida
Forever, extending
our environmentally
sensitive land
purchase program
to take us into
the next generation." Florida
Forever has made
possible historic,
on-the-ground
conservation
for Florida.
However, today
Florida Forever
is falling behind
in addressing
the most critical
land conservation
needs of Florida.
The $300 million
that we invest
in land conservation
has not increased
in more than
18 years — during
which time the
cost of land
has doubled and
tripled in parts
of our state.
Thirty-three
counties, 16
municipalities
and 46 organizations
have signed formal
resolutions supporting
an increase in
Florida Forever
funding and a
continuation
and expansion
of the program.
February
4, 2008 — Florida
Forever Coalition Proposes Successor
Program
This is an outline of major legislation to reauthorize
and expand the Florida Forever program.
January
18, 2008 — Florida
Forever Coalition Backs Florida
Forever Bonding
This letter to Governor Crist outlines the Florida Forever
Coalition's proposal to immediately double bonding for
Florida Forever to $600 million annually and to double
it to again to $900 million in 2013. An invaluable, disappearing
asset (at the rate of more than 400 acres a day), land
is in fact uniquely suited for investment through bonding
because it is available for protection today — and
not in the future.
December
7, 2007 — Acquisition
and Restoration Council Prioritizes
Florida Forever Projects
There are currently 106 projects on the Florida Forever
list. The estimated value of the list is $17 billion. The
top 21 ("or Super 21") are the only projects
that are supposed to be pursued with the remaining Florida
Forever dollars. The remaining funding cannot meet a fraction
of the conservation lands needed to sustain Florida's environment
and its wildlife conservation needs including the water
resources needed to support the state's economy. These
priorities will be formalized and adopted by the Governor
and Cabinet in February 2008. Click
here to download a copy of the Florida Forever list.
For details about these projects, visit
the Department of Environmental Protection's Web site
