Restore funding for Florida Forever
My friends in the Florida Legislature continue to prioritize improving our economy and creating jobs. Good for them. That is an important goal. However, improving Florida’s economy long term is not well served by destroying the very reason people live here. No one ever moved to Florida because we have the best strip malls. It’s Florida: It’s the idea of living in a perceived paradise with beautiful rivers, springs, beaches and precious green spaces.
During my four decades of public service, I’ve worked to forge a business environment that attracts new employers and increases economic opportunities for our residents. I have a lifetime rating of 100 percent from the Associated Builders and Contractors, and received numerous awards from Associated Industries of Florida. I have seen the combined population of Seminole, Orange and Osceola counties grow from 700,000 to more than 2 million people.
But I have also worked to balance that growth with commonsense conservative solutions to protect the environment, improve the quality of life of my constituents and maintain Central Florida’s unmatched desirability as a place for families from around the world to visit and call home. I received the prestigious Sadowski Award from 1000 Friends of Florida and serve as the vice-chairman of the Florida Conservation Coalition in a bipartisan effort with former Gov. Bob Graham and Republican environmental legend Nathaniel Reed.
In 1999, during my final term in the Florida House of Representatives, I sponsored legislation creating the Florida Forever Program to ensure that our state had the resources, policy and process necessary to protect Florida’s most important environmental, agricultural and recreational landscapes. I was joined in this successful endeavor by state Sen. Jack Latvala, who sponsored the bill in the Florida Senate, and Gov. Jeb Bush, who signed the bill into law.
This Florida Forever legislation was more than a spending bill. We thoughtfully refocused the previous Preservation 2000 land-acquisition program created by Republican Gov. Bob Martinez. We directed funds to where they would be most effective, and established the Acquisition and Restoration Council to make sure that landconservation decisions were based upon Florida’s needs and the best science available.
The combination of reliable funding, an unimpeachable scientific process for selecting lands, and the support of future legislators and governors made Florida Forever the most successful environmental conservation programs in the nation. In 2008, during my final term as a state senator, the Legislature reauthorized Florida Forever for another decade. The success of Florida Forever is not measured by the number of acres it has conserved, but the benefits those conserved lands give to the people of our state — benefits like clean waters, green spaces in urban areas, public beaches, healthy wildlife populations, vibrant waterfronts, productive agricultural lands and endless recreational and educational opportunities.
These are not stagnant goals. The more our state grows, the more we need to protect. We cannot afford to let our efforts to conserve Florida’s environment stall any more than we can afford to let our efforts to grow Florida’s economy fail.
However, today the focus has shifted too much on one side of the equation, and recent sessions of the Legislature have failed to provide adequate funding for Florida Forever. That’s why, in 2014, Floridians overwhelmingly voted for Amendment 1. They knew if we do not balance growth with conservation, we set our state up for environmental and human disaster down the road.
I am optimistic, however, because we have leaders who understand and have influence.
In the House, Rep. Matt Caldwell has filed legislation that would update the Florida Forever program and prepare it for another 20 years of success. As the sponsor of the original Florida Forever program, I support his effort to refocus Florida Forever dollars while maintaining the needs-based scientific approach. Also, my longtime friend Jack Latvala, who called the initial passage of Florida Forever “the crowning achievement” of his legislative career, is back in the Senate and chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Critical land conservation projects in Central Florida and across our state are in urgent need of funding. Some of these treasures could be lost to development forever. If these lands are not conserved, Florida taxpayers will be forced to pay exponentially more to fix our waters and lands in the future. Let’s ensure that our children and grandchildren do not have to pay tomorrow for our mistakes today.
I urge my Republican brethren in the Florida Legislature to continue Florida’s legacy of environmental stewardship by restoring Florida Forever funding to a minimum of $160 million this year.