Making the Case for FL Forever Funds

Tallahassee, FL, November 23, 2005: The Trust for Public Land (TPL) and its partners in the Florida Forever Coalition have created a new Internet-based informational resource to document the needs for Florida Forever and increased State land acquisition funding.

The web site — “Florida Forever: Making the Case” — was formally unveiled last week at the annual Florida Public Land Acquisition and Management (PLAM) conference in Stuart. “Florida Forever: Making the Case” is found at: www.tpl.org/floridaforever

The types of questions that can be answered using “Florida Forever: Making the Case” are:

• What is the population of Florida today? And how rapidly are we growing?
• How quickly are prices for developed and undeveloped land increasing? How costly is housing in Florida today?
• What is the rate of development and land loss in Florida?
• What does Florida Forever allow us to protect (or not) in today’s market?
• How does the Florida Forever program operate?

“Florida Forever, our state’s landmark conservation funding program, is under historically great demand,” said Greg Chelius, state director for TPL. “The funding available simply doesn’t go far enough in today’s land market.

“This new web site will provide Floridians – lawmakers, advocates, journalists, and others – with the facts and figures on Florida Forever in order to make the case for a bigger, better State commitment to land conservation,” said Chelius.

The web site gathers and presents existing information and data from public, nonprofit, and private sources, including:

• Florida Department of Environmental Protection
• Florida Department of Revenue
• U.S. Census Bureau
• University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research
• USDA Natural Resources Inventory
• Florida Natural Areas Inventory
• Florida Association of Realtors

The Florida Forever Coalition, which is a collaborative effort by statewide and national organizations to support Florida Forever, includes:

• Trust for Public Land
• Audubon Society of Florida
• Conservation Fund
• Florida Park and Recreation Association
• Florida Wildlife Federation
• The Nature Conservancy
• 1,000 Friends of Florida
• Defenders of Wildlife

“Florida Forever: Making the Case” is intended to expand and improve. TPL welcomes comments on and suggestions about it. Please respond to Andy McLeod at (850) 222-7911, ext. 36, or andy.mcleod@tpl.org.

TPL is a national nonprofit land conservation organization that conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens, historic sites, rural lands, and other natural areas, ensuring livable communities for generations to come. Since its founding in 1972, TPL has helped protect more than 2 million acres of land in 46 states. In Florida, TPL has protected more than 300 sites – over 200,000 acres at a market value of about $500 million. TPL depends on the support and generosity of individuals, foundations, and businesses to achieve our land for people mission. For more information please contact us at 850-222-7911 or visit us on the web at www.tpl.org