{{Short description|Land conservation program}} {{Use American English|date=July 2025}} {{Update|date=December 2024}} '''Florida Forever''' is a land conservation program in Florida. In 1999, the Florida Legislature passed the Florida Forever Act which was signed into law by former Florida governor, Jeb Bush, which would lead to the creation of the Florida Forever program.<ref name="Northwest Florida Water Management District">{{cite web | title=Florida Forever Land Acquisition Work Plans | website=Northwest Florida Water Management District | url=https://www.nwfwater.com/Lands/Land-Acquisition/Florida-Forever-Land-Acquisition-Work-Plans | access-date=2020-07-24}}</ref><ref name="Higgins Chapin Connerly Miller 2012 p. 246">{{cite book | last=Higgins | first=H.T. | last2=Chapin | first2=T.S. | last3=Connerly | first3=C.E. | last4=Miller | first4=P.D. | last5=Gurran | first5=N. | title=Growth Management in Florida: Planning for Paradise | publisher=Ashgate Publishing Limited | series=Urban Planning and Environment | year=2012 | isbn=978-1-4094-8734-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lZ8YW6uw2JQC&pg=PA246 | access-date=2020-07-24 | page=246}}</ref> Since the program was created in July 2001, the state of Florida has purchased more than 1 million acres of land with a little over $3.8 billion (as of July 2020).<ref name="Florida Forever 2020">{{cite web | title=Florida Department of Environmental Protection | website=Florida Forever | date=2020-05-15 | url=https://floridadep.gov/lands/environmental-services/content/florida-forever | access-date=2020-07-24}}</ref> Approximately 2.6 million acres have been purchased under the program and its predecessor, '''Preservation 2000''' (P2000).<ref>[http://www.dep.state.fl.us/lands/fl_forever.htm Florida Forever] Florida Department of Environmental Protection</ref>
According to one 2011 poll, the program is popular and few Floridians favor cutting the funding for it.<ref name=potteiger>{{cite news|last=Potteiger|first=Jason|title=Few Support Cutting Florida Forever Act|url=http://apollsteronpolling.com/2011/04/21/few-support-cutting-florida-forever-act/|accessdate=April 13, 2012|newspaper=A Polster on Polling|date=April 21, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707152335/http://apollsteronpolling.com/2011/04/21/few-support-cutting-florida-forever-act/|archive-date=July 7, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In 2020, the program received $100 million as part of HB 5001.<ref name="Tampa Bay Times 2020">{{cite web | title=These laws go into effect in Florida today | website=Tampa Bay Times | date=2020-07-01 | url=https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2020/07/01/these-laws-go-into-effect-in-florida-today/ | access-date=2020-07-24}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{official website}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20110803083046/http://nwfwmd.state.fl.us/rmd/swim/fla_forever_grants/fla_forever_grants.htm Florida Forever capital improvement grants]
Category:Environmental organizations based in Florida Category:Nature conservation organizations based in the United States Category:Protected areas of Florida Category:2001 establishments in Florida
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