Florida Forever is Out of Funds

By Anne Birch, Indian River Lagoon Program Director, The Nature Conservancy, Florida

You may be aware that the nation's premier land conservation program, Florida Forever, is tapped out of funds and is in jeopardy of expiring. Even though this 10-year program has two years left before it "sunsets" in 2010, the two years of remaining funds are essentially committed to land deals that are already in the pipeline across the state.

The Indian River Lagoon counties and areas across the state have been fortunate to receive state funding for land and water protection and management. But there is a critical need to do more and now is the time. A Florida Forever successor program must be passed this legislative session.

Urgent Timeline
The start of Florida's 2008 legislative session is just day's away, March 4-May 3, 2008. This is not much time to send a message to our legislators about the need for a Florida Forever successor program. The Nature Conservancy is a member of the Florida Forever Coalition, an alliance of organizations committed to passing a Florida Forever successor program. In a nutshell, the Coalition is seeking the creation of a successor program that would receive double the existing annual funding starting in FY 09 - $600 million/year.

Lobbying in Tallahassee is going strong and your local support is needed.

How You Can Help:
Send a Resolution of Support from your group/organization/business. Join the more than 40 organizations that have already endorsed a Florida Forever successor program. Send a Letter of Support that you, individuals of your organization(s), neighbors, and any interested citizen, can send to your legislators asking for their support of a Florida Forever successor program. To find out who your legislators are go to http://www.vote-smart.org.

Please let us know when you've contacted your legislator and whether he or she indicated support for increased funding by emailing us at floridaforever@tnc.org
Mobilize your members, family, friends, and neighbors to rally the legislature for a Florida Forever successor program. We can't do this alone. We need as many individuals, organizations and businesses to spread the word to as many other individuals, organizations and businesses as possible.

Join The Florida Action Network to receive updates and timely information on the Florida Forever successor program. Visit this site often to see what's new. http://www.nature.org/floridaforever

When telling friends and neighbors about this issue,be sure to mention the following points:

The Need To Protect Florida's Landscapes Is Great
Florida's tradition of successfully protecting natural resources must continue. The job of saving the best of Florida is not done. Florida has conservation opportunities on a scale unimaginable in many other states, but the Florida Forever program is in jeopardy.

• Emphasize the issue of rapid growth in our state -- averaging more than 1,000 new residents per day in recent years
• Florida Forever is essentially out of money -- there is only $20 million to spend through 2010. There will be no money after 2010.

The amount of money allocated for Florida Forever ($300 million) has not changed in 18 years -- the costs of land have more than doubled.

It Is Urgent That We Act Now To Bolster Florida Forever
As pressures increase on natural resources due to our steady growth, profound environmental and cultural changes are coming to Florida. The core services upon which our economy ultimately depends -- drinking water supplies, clean air, food production, building materials, flood control, a livable climate, buffers against hurricane storm surge and more -- are at risk. The next three to five years will likely tell the story of whether large-scale conservation to protect these resources will remain possible in Florida.

• Stress the urgency of the situation. Florida forever is falling behind. We must act today to expand and renew Florida Forever.
• Land loss is permanent. Extinction is irreversible.
• Water resources are essential to the future of Florida and are finite.
• Right now real estate prices are down, critical landscapes are available and willing sellers are coming forward. Florida can get more for its taxpayer money in this current market, but only by increasing funding for Florida Forever to $600 million this year.

We Must Succeed
The opportunities still exist to protect the best of Florida's remaining habitat and landscape-scale tracts of land. However, to realize this opportunity, we must act TODAY. Without a potent and increased Florida Forever program, much of Florida's lands and waters will be fragmented and lost over the coming years. Scattered opportunities to protect and restore the remnants of once vast natural landscapes and the communities they support may still exist, but we will have missed a rare chance to protect some of the last intact landscapes left.

• 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.
• We face issues such as building desalination plants, loss of billions in tourist income, paying for wildfire damages, to name a few.