Military Supporters Call On Lawmakers To Fund “Florida Forever”

Florida Capitol Building in Tallahassee. Source: WikiMedia Commons
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.
Get The 90.7 WMFE Newsletter
Your trusted news source for the latest Central Florida news, updates on special programs and more.
GET THE LATEST

WMFE Journalistic Ethics Code | Public Media Code of Integrity