North Florida Land Trust
Media Release
October7, 2017 12:00 p.m.
Senator Rob Bradley (R-Fleming Island) recently filed legislation, SB 370, that would allocate $100 million annually to the popular Florida Forever land conservation program. The North Florida Land Trust applauds the Senator’s leadership before the official start of the legislative session and looks forward to working with him to pass this important legislation.
In 2014, Florida voters overwhelmingly approved the Water & Land Conservation Amendment (also known as Amendment One) to restore funding for conservation and recreation land acquisition. However, in the three years since the Amendment passed, less than 4 percent of dollars from the Amendment have been allocated to land conservation statewide.
“We’re very pleased that Senator Bradley is championing this effort by offering to dedicate Amendment One funds annually to land conservation,” said Jim McCarthy, president of NFLT.
Scientists identified, studied and ranked over 2 million acres of environmentally sensitive lands throughout Florida that the Legislature must conserve to protect the water supply of our citizens, prevent increasing losses from flooding, provide critical wildlife habitat and promote a vibrant quality of life for residents and visitors of Florida alike. NFLT looks forward to working with Senator Bradley and the rest of the Florida Legislature to ensure this legislation meets the needs of Florida’s premier land conservation programs including the Florida Forever priority list, the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program and the Florida Communities Trust program.
“Senator Bradley’s bill provides a great starting point to address these needs. In the wake of Hurricane Irma, it is clear that conserving these critical lands is necessary not only for our environment but also for our economy and our way of life,” McCarthy said.