Saving Special Places • Building Better Communities
1000 Friends of Florida Endorses County Land Conservation Programs
Unspoiled natural lands and clean water are Florida’s most valuable assets. Our environment, economy and quality of life depend on them. That’s why 1000 Friends of Florida, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to environmentally and fiscally responsible planning, is once again enthusiastically endorsing land and water protection proposals that will appear on the November ballot in seven counties: Brevard, Charlotte, Manatee, Marion, St. Johns, Santa Rosa and Sarasota.
What is on your ballot
These proposals would establish, extend or renew a local funding source for land and water protection, including programs to purchase ecologically valuable land from willing sellers to be protected from development, or to buy development rights on working farms and forests or other land that would remain on the tax rolls in private ownership and management, or to finance other water protection measures.
Transparency and accountability would be assured in these programs by annual independent audits, citizen oversight boards and full public disclosure of all spending. Together, these proposals could generate hundreds of millions of dollars to invest in land and water protection across the seven counties.
Brevard County
- Continues the Save Our Indian River Lagoon Program
- Funds septic to sewer conversions, stormwater and wastewater upgrades, and muck removal
- Renews the existing half-cent sales tax for 10 years, with citizen oversight and annual independent audits
Charlotte County
- Continues the county's program protecting drinking water, wildlife habitat and nature-based parks
- Up to $70 million in bonds, maturing within 20 years, with annual public audits required by the ballot measure
- Continues the existing 0.20 mill property tax rather than raising it, with a citizen oversight committee guiding purchases
Manatee County
- Protects drinking water, water quality, wildlife habitat and natural areas, and provides public preserves
- Up to $75 million in bonds, maturing within 20 years, with annual public audits required by the ballot measure
- Adds a property tax of up to 0.16 mills, with a citizen oversight committee guiding purchases
Marion County
- Funds parks, trails, springs protection and farm preservation
- Up to $140 million in bonds, with a levy capped at 0.35 mills
- Program money is accounted for through citizen oversight, quarterly reports and an annual independent audit
St. Johns County
- Adds funding to the county's willing-seller Land Acquisition and Management Program
- Up to $100 million in bonds, with a levy capped at 0.15 mills
- About $3.91 a month, or roughly $47 a year, for the average homeowner
Santa Rosa County
- The sales tax is a renewal. What is new is the water quality and natural area protection added to it this April.
- Also funds roads, public safety, and parks and recreation
- Continues the existing half-cent sales tax for five years, starting Jan. 1, 2027
Sarasota County
- Continues the county's sensitive lands program, which began in 1999, and its neighborhood parkland program, added in 2005
- Question 1 continues the existing 0.25 mill tax through 2049. Question 2 authorizes up to $250 million in bonds.
- The program is audited every year and guided by a citizen oversight committee. The campaign estimates the continued cost at about $51 a year for a median homesteaded home.
Three ways to help before Nov. 3
Mail ballots are going out now. Here is how to make your vote count and bring others with you.
- Register by Oct. 5
- Request a mail ballot by Oct. 22
- Vote early Oct. 24 to 31
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How your money is protected
Why we endorse local conservation funding
A modest cost, a considerable return
For a typical household, the investments in land and water protection are modest, amounting to a few extra dollars a month, but the returns are considerable. Protecting waterways by naturally cleansing polluting nutrients from stormwater runoff, or upgrading wastewater systems. Recharging groundwater supplies. Preserving wildlife habitat. Reducing flood risk. Expanding outdoor recreation. Keeping our tourism and agricultural sectors healthy. Maintaining our quality of life and property values.
Smarter growth, lower costs
And conserving rural land, whether it is natural or agricultural, helps steer more of our state’s relentless growth and development toward urban areas with the infrastructure in place to support it. This smarter approach not only reduces the impact of development on vulnerable land, water and wildlife; it also cushions the blow to taxpayers, who don’t get stuck with the bill for stretching public services to distant rural areas.
A smart investment
When it comes to public investments, land and water protection is among the best. Every local dollar raised is typically matched by one or more from federal, state or private sources. It’s the ultimate buy-one, get-one-free deal for taxpayers. Counties that raise funds locally go to the front of the line for matching dollars from other sources. Counties that fail to do so fall behind amid the stiff competition for funding. And when state funding lags, counties with their own programs maintain the capacity to protect high-priority properties and waterways.
Bipartisan support
Since the 2020 election cycle, we have joined allies in endorsing a dozen of these county proposals. We’re proud to say that all 12 of them were approved by voters in counties spanning the political spectrum from red to blue. Floridians may not always agree on other issues, but there is a bipartisan consensus behind protecting our state’s most precious lands and waters. Over time, Florida voters have passed at least 93 local conservation ballot proposals. Currently, there are 25 counties that have established their own conservation programs.
Why now
Florida’s relentless population growth raises development pressure on natural and agricultural land, threatening water quality and increasing the risk that environmentally sensitive land, and the many benefits it contributes to Florida’s quality of life, will be lost forever if not protected. And the escalating cost of land is another powerful argument against any delay in investing in conservation.
1000 Friends of Florida has always been a strong advocate for state and local land and water protection programs. Our co-founder, Nathaniel Pryor Reed, played a leading role in establishing the landmark state Preservation 2000 program which, together with its successor Florida Forever, have protected more than 2.6 million acres of precious natural lands across our state.