Florida Forever, the state's popular land conservation program, has been tabbed to received $8m in the proposed budget released yesterday. Thanks to Audubon Advocates like you, this critical program will live on to protect Florida for another year.
In all, our advocates sent over 1,200 emails to their elected officials, urging them to make the case to the budget writing conferees on behalf of Everglades Restoration and Florida Forever. Before the budget went to conference, Florida Forever had not been budgeted at all.
Thanks to your advocacy, state budget leaders made the right choice in deciding to save our wonderful conservation program.
Sen. JD Alexander, R-Lake Wales and the Senate Budget Committee chairman, said Monday no new revenue was being provided to Florida Forever but that the program would receive money reverted from last year."I couldn't convince all my colleagues that that's where we needed to put the priority," Alexander said, noting that the budget does include $30 million for Everglades restoration.
