Drew Dixon
An activist group advocating for controlled growth in Florida is criticizing the amount of money the Florida Legislature has set aside for a conservation program.
The organization 1000 Friends of Florida issued a news release Wednesday, taking lawmakers to task for what the group says should have been more money set aside for Florida Forever.
Legislators set aside $268 million for land protection in the 2025-26 budget, but most of that, to the tune of $250 million, is earmarked for the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP), which 1000 Friends of Florida praised. However, only $18 million was allocated for Florida Forever.
“Two years ago, legislators pledged to spend at least $100 million a year on Florida Forever, an essential investment to maintain momentum in the program, keep up with the demand to protect high-priority natural land threatened by development, and honor the constitutional obligation to invest in land conservation utilizing Florida’s well-funded Land Acquisition Trust Fund,” the 1000 Friends statement said.
It has been noted that legislators have since slashed funding for Florida Forever, and this year’s $18 million allocation is far short of what is necessary. “Meanwhile, the cost of protecting valuable natural land will continue to increase.”
Another conservation organization, the Florida Conservation Group added in a statement earlier this week, “We will need a mixture of agricultural and natural lands to protect our food, fiber, wildlife and water if we’re going to maintain our economy and environment — and our entire way of life. We’re excited to see the legislature commit robust funding to preserve our rural and agricultural lands, and we look forward to similar commitments to Florida Forever over the crucial next few years to securing our last remaining wild spaces. We have an increasingly limited time frame to make sure both of these programs achieve what they’re intended to do.”
Florida Forever was established by the state in 2001 and has been part of more than 1 million acres of land purchases that have been turned into conservation areas.
The 1000 Friends of Florida was also critical of the decision by lawmakers to provide no funding for the Florida Communities Trust and the Florida Recreational Development Assistance program. Both of those programs aim to expand parks and recreational areas outdoors.
“These decisions were even more disappointing in the wake of the outpouring from the public to protect Florida State Parks (in 2024), and to reject proposals to trade away conservation lands,” the 1000 Friends of Florida news release said.
