Lawmakers slashed Florida forever protecting funds despite public land support

Thousands of Floridians sent a clear message to lawmakers in protest at their beloved state park last summer. Public land should be protected.

Despite a massive display of bipartisan support for wild Florida locations, lawmakers approved budget cuts Monday night for the state’s flagship conservation land acquisition program to help grow and create new state parks.

The Florida Forever program is expected to receive $18 million for the upcoming budget year, according to state documents. The money for the land purchases amounts to an additional $100 million from the governor of Florida, recommended for the new budget.

Several environmental advocacy groups told the Tampa Bay Times they were disappointed with the allocation, calling the funds “little” and told them it was against the public’s support for more conserved land amid the rapid development of the statewide.

They also said they would send a mixed message about supporting lawmakers around public lands just weeks after Congress unanimously passed measures to further protect Florida’s state parks from development.

“After a year of overwhelming support for Florida’s public lands, including state parks, state forests and wildlife management areas, Florida will only be allocated $18 million,” said Casey Darling Kniffin, director of conservation policy for the Florida Federation of Wildlife.

“Even though thousands of Floridians have urged lawmakers to maintain or increase their funds, this minimal investment reveals a troublesome disconnect about the long-term value of public conservation sites,” she said.

Both rooms in the Florida Legislature must agree to the total funding each year. The Senate initially provided $100 million to the conservation program, but in early June the House of Representatives did not propose any money. The Chamber of Commerce has landed at $18 million.

The funding cut comes just two years after lawmakers unanimously approved a measure that required the state to allocate $100 million a year to land acquisition. Florida was created in 2001 and according to the Florida Environmental Protection Agency, which oversees the program, Forever was founded in 2001 and blossomed into one of the nation’s largest initiatives to buy public land.

More than 1 million acres have been purchased for about $4 billion since the program was launched, according to the agency. The spokesman did not answer questions about how conservation goals will be affected next year.

While the money allocated to Florida has forever dropped to its lowest point in a few years, the budget also calls for $250 million for the Rural and Family Land Conservation Program, an agricultural land conservation initiative that provides conservation easements for timber, farm and ranch land. The program is overseen by the state’s agricultural department.

Conservation easements allow landowners to personally use it for crop production and cattle breeding while providing vehicles to sell land development rights. The program dodges sprawl, but does not allow public recreation opportunities offered by state parks and forests purchased with everlasting funds in Florida.

Asked about cuts in funding to Florida on June 13, Republican House Budget Speaker Lawrence McClure showed that ownership and management of public lands cost state money, and instead he stressed the importance of protection through easements.

“Easelines are a great tool to achieve our intended goal of preserving Florida’s Heartland,” McClure said. “But there’s also the advantage that it doesn’t have to be governed by the government.”

Taken together, conservation programs such as the Florida Forever and Rural and Family Lands help form a patchwork of property into interconnected corridors where wildlife can roam without the threat posed by human construction, advocates for both programs say.

Beth Alvi, senior director of policy at Audubon, Florida, has forever constituted conservation efforts in Florida, making other legs for other conservation programs, such as rural and family land.

“Putting one of the money in (legs) and saying it does the same thing doesn’t really get a full picture of what it takes to save land in this state,” Alvi said. “This is a race against time and development to save the last remaining wild places.”

After a turbulent legislative session hampered internal conflict and negotiations, Florida’s budget totals to $115 billion. Once the budget is sent to him, Desantis has 15 days to issue a veto and approve it.

State Rep. Lindsaycross, a Democrat from St. Petersburg, said that funding Florida forever this year could make it difficult for the state to add or build on existing publicly accessible parks and forests and put visitors pressure on public lands during the period when Florida’s population continues to climb.

Cross said funding for conservation easements is important, but that does not amount to increased public access for those who want to go outside.

“We should strive better when more people move to this state with booming tourism,” Cross said. “So far, we will be able to go with existing public land.”

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