Florida Secures Record Investment for Everglades Restoration and Water Quality

Published on June 18, 2024

Governor Ron DeSantis signed the Focus on Florida’s Future Budget for Fiscal Year 2024-25, representing the most significant single-year investment in Everglades restoration projects in Florida’s history. The budget invests a historic $3.1 billion to continue the state’s momentum to expedite critical Everglades Restoration projects, employ sound science to protect and restore Florida’s waterways, and fund infrastructure projects to improve Florida’s water quality and supply.

The budget emphasizes key priorities for achieving more for Florida’s environment, including:

$156.1 million in Florida’s conservation lands, including:

  • $100 million for Florida Forever, the state’s blueprint for conserving Florida’s prized properties. This funding is in addition to the $100 million provided to acquire lands and conservation easements within the Florida Wildlife Corridor in Senate Bill 1638.
  • $15 million for Florida’s award-winning state parks. This funding is in addition to the $36 million provided for state park and trail management in Senate Bill 1638.
  • $15 million for the Florida Communities Trust to acquire community-based parks, open space, and greenways that further outdoor recreation and natural resource protection needs.
  • $14.3 million for the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program, which provides competitive recreational grants to local governments for the acquisition and/or development of land for public outdoor recreation.

Full article on ECO Magazine: Florida Secures Record Investment for Everglades Restoration and Water Quality | Coastal | News (ecomagazine.com)

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