Background
Florida has long been one of the fastest growing states in the country, but the price of this growth has been steep.
Sprawling development has carved wildlife habitat into smaller and smaller pieces, divided by highways or paved over altogether for shopping malls and office parks -- threatening state symbols such as the Florida panther and the Florida black bear.
Many of Florida's coastal marshes and barrier islands -- home to endangered wildlife such as manatees, wood storks and loggerhead sea turtles -- have been transformed into marinas and condominiums. The Everglades, a unique ecosystem that is home to 68 federally endangered or threatened plant and animal species, has already lost half of its area to agricultural and urban development and continues to face pressure from South Florida's booming development.
To stem this tide, since the late 1960s, Florida has funded strong programs to preserve the natural beauty and unique ecosystems that comprise our state. The current effort is a program called Florida Forever -- a very popular and effective $300 million per year conservation and recreation land buying program funded by long term bonds secured with funding from real estate transfer fees. Touted as "the world's largest land conservation buying program," Florida Forever has preserved more than 560,000 acres since the program's launch in 2001.
While Florida Forever has been successful, it is precariously low on funds. Moreover, its achievements pale in comparison to the need at hand. Florida's population is expected to double in the next 50 years, and open space and pristine habitat is disappearing at an alarming rate.
We need to increase funding for the Florida Forever program and to put in place incentives for private owners to conserve their land, rather than sell to developers. The longer we wait, the more open space and critical wildlife habitat we will lose.
