Florida’s military backers are renewing their support for the state’s land buying program.
Florida Forever is a program that started in 2001 to conserve land through acquisition.
State lawmakers zeroed out funding for Florida Forever last session. That was a blow to environmentalists and military bases. Both hope to restrict development around sensitive areas.
Now Rep. Holly Raschein, a Key Largo Republican, says her district’s bases are feeling the pressure of development.
“I commit to you, and I think I can bring Representatives Trumball and Ingram on with me,” said Raschein, “that we are going to take this up. And we’re going to have to rewrite the budget after this storm season. But land acquisition and those things are very important still.”
Lawmakers routinely funded Florida Forever at $300 million a year before the recession. But for three years in a row, the program hasn’t survived budget talks.
