The Florida Senate and House budgets would dramatically reduce funding for Florida Forever -- the state's premier land conservation program.
Neither chamber's draft budget came close to honoring the Legislature's commitment of at least $100 million a year for the program. The House proposed nothing at all. The Senate allocated $35 million in new funding and redirected another $15 million in unspent funds from last year's budget -- but all $50 million is restricted to conservation easements, not the fee-simple acquisitions that add new state parks, forests, and wildlife management areas to Florida's public lands. With budget conferees now working to reconcile the two chambers' proposals, your voice matters more than ever.