Action Alert

"Florida voters support funding for land conservation, despite the ongoing state and national recession and economic crisis. On Tuesday, November 4, 2008, Florida voters approved three of four county measures on the ballot generating $260 million in new local conservation funding.

In Hillsborough County, voters approved the state’s largest local ballot measure, with an landslide 79 percent vote for a $200 million bond to continue Hillsborough County’s program to acquire environmentally sensitive land. Flagler County voters approved $40 million for land conservation with an overwhelming 65 percent to continue Flagler County’s program to acquire environmentally sensitive land. Alachua County voters approved a ½-cent sales tax for two years by 52 percent to continue Alachua County’s Alachua Forever program to acquire environmentally sensitive land and provide new funding for parks and recreation.

Earlier in 2008, voters in St. Augustine Beach and North Bay Village also approved local ballot questions dedicating $16.4 million for land conservation, by 63 and 61 percent, respectively.

Passage of these local measures follows a growing track record of local conservation ballot measure success in Florida; Floridians have approved 80 percent of local land conservation funding measures since 1996. Demonstrating Florida voters' depth of support for land conservation, most of these ballot measure were tax increases.

These local funding measures were also passed by local voters with the assurance that state matching dollars would be available through Florida Forever.

As the Legislature considers drastic cuts to the Florida Forever program, they should bear in mind that their constituents have clearly shown their overwhelmingly support for land conservation funding by voting to approve local ballot measures."
-The Trust for Public Land