(FDACS/TALLAHASSEE, FL/Oct. 17, 2023) — Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson is seeking $300 million for a program designed to keep swaths of rural land from commercial and residential development, triple the amount vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis this year. Meanwhile, the Department of Environmental Protection is asking lawmakers for a slight increase next year in funding for the separate Florida Forever …
DeSantis, Florida Cabinet Approve Florida Forever Land Acquisitions, Conservation Easements
Six of the seven projects are within the newly designated Florida Wildlife Corridor (Tallahassee/Sept. 21, 2021-NSF) — Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet approved seven Florida Forever land acquisitions and conservation easements that will protect Florida’s fragile natural environments in Hardee, Hendry, Indian River, Leon, Okeechobee, and Santa Rosa counties. The properties approved today, totaling nearly 20,000 acres, will …
Florida Forever Funding Defended by Environmental Chief
(NSF) — State Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Noah Valenstein on Wednesday defended Gov. Ron DeSantis for not asking to issue bonds for the Florida Forever Land Conservation Program, as the financing method has been proposed to cover Everglade’s work and a new program to fight rising sea levels. Valenstein told members of the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations …
DeSantis, Cabinet Back North Florida Land Deals
(NSF) — Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet on Tuesday approved proposals to spend about $5.3 million to conserve more than 2,500 acres of land in Santa Rosa and Jefferson counties. The deals include paying $4.3 million to conserve 1,786 acres in Santa Rosa County that is used for hunting and to grow timber. The land, owned by Kingfisher Timber, …
DEP Acquires Land Within St. Joe Timberland Florida Forever Project
(FL/DEP) — The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), in partnership with the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida, has purchased a 578-acre parcel in Gulf County within the St. Joe Timberland Florida Forever project. The property lies within the Apalachicola River and Bay watershed and expands upon the state’s recent 20,168-acre addition to the Lake Wimico tract. Through this acquisition, the public will …
Florida Forever to Get $100 Million
(NSF) — Florida Forever, the state’s signature land-preservation program, will get a sizable, one-time boost in funding as lawmakers inched closer Sunday to patching together an estimated $92 billion budget for next fiscal year. House and Senate negotiators also agreed to keep alive an economic development fund backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis but cut spending on the program. The $100 …
Senators Continue Push for Florida Forever Money
(NSF) — Senators pressed forward Tuesday with a proposal that would provide $100 million a year for Florida Forever, as the House and Senate go into budget talks far apart on the land-buying program. The Senate Agriculture, Environment and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee backed a proposal (SB 332) by Sen. Linda Stewart, D-Orlando, that would funnel $100 million annually to …
DeSantis Praised, Criticized on Environmental Spending
(NSF) — Gov. Ron DeSantis drew praise as “a true environmental leader” but was also criticized for not putting more money toward the Florida Forever program and failing to adequately prepare the state for climate change as he released a proposed $91.4 billion budget on Monday. DeSantis received the mixed reviews from environmental groups for his spending plan, which included …
Funding Fight Begins for Florida Forever
(NSF) — A proposal to designate $100 million a year of voter-approved money to the Florida Forever conservation program began moving through Senate committees Monday. However, even after past funding proposals failed and as legislative leaders remain vague about future spending, environmentalists are pushing for three times that amount, seeking to match what Florida Forever received annually more than a …
Florida Land Deals Approved
Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state Cabinet agreed Tuesday to spend $2.54 million from the Florida Forever conservation program to preserve land in Lake and Hamilton counties. The deals, approved with little comment, will pay $540,000 to Brian A. Richards for 83.4 acres in rapidly growing Lake County and $2 million to the owners of River Error Farms for 316 …