Florida Forever Is Essentially Out of Money
1. There is only $20 million to spend through 2010. There will
be no money after 2010.
2. The amount of money allocated for Florida Forever ($300
million) has not changed in 18 years — the costs of land
have more than doubled.
3. The current real estate slump in Florida provides historic
opportunities for land conservation. Without more funding
now, these places could be lost forever.
We Must Succeed
1. Failure to invest now in a new and expanded Florida Forever
will result in much higher expenditures for ecosystem services
we currently use and enjoy.
2. We face issues such as building desalination plants, loss
of billions in tourist income, paying for wildfire damages,
to
name a few.
3. The opportunities still exist to protect the best of Florida’s
remaining habitat and landscape-scale tracts of land. But
without a potent and increased Florida Forever program, much
of Florida’s
lands and waters will be fragmented and lost over the coming
years.
