Saving Special Places • Building Better Communities
Protecting Florida’s Lands
In addition to protecting our drinking water, sheltering wildlife, and providing a host of recreational opportunities, Florida’s natural lands are this state’s greatest economic asset. Safeguarding these remarkable “special places” is a top priority. 1000 Friends of Florida spearheads workable strategies to preserve them for our children and grandchildren to enjoy.
Over the years, 1000 Friends has played a key role in two of this state’s most significant programs to protect natural resources — Preservation 2000 and Florida Forever — supporting state funding for the acquisition of environmentally-sensitive land and establishing this state’s nationally recognized “emerald necklace” of greenways. From protecting wildlife habitat, to filtering our drinking water and air, to providing opportunities for recreation, these lands are what make Florida special.
We also know that conserving significant natural lands is one of the best means of ensuring that our urban areas will be viable places to invest in, and places where people will want to live. For this reason, 1000 Friends has spearheaded important projects like Sea Level 2040/2070, Agriculture 2040/2070, and the Planning to Protect the Florida Wildlife Corridor online seminar to bring attention to critical issues facing our state. 1000 Friends also advocates at the state, regional and local levels for public policies and planning strategies to protect Florida’s natural lands.
Photo by Dennis Goodman
Growth and Development Projections
Local governments should consider the long view, even when making development decisions on small tracts of land. The cumulative effect of multiple small land use changes will, over time, shape the future landscape of Florida for better or worse. To help community leaders better visualize the impacts of seemingly small decisions over a long period of time, in 2023, the University of Florida Center for Landscape Conservation Planning and 1000 Friends of Florida partnered to produce Sea Level 2040/2070.
This ground-breaking project is a GIS-based analysis of the intersection between population growth, development patterns and sea level rise in Florida. It builds on the Florida 2070/Water 2070 reports released in 2016 but incorporates the impacts of sea level rise on lands available for development, conservation, agriculture and other purposes, and the associated need for population relocation.
Florida’s Rising Seas includes two separate studies, Sea Level 2040 and Sea Level 2070. Each includes two scenarios which cover potential futures, one dominated by continuing sprawl and the second reflecting efforts to manage growth and protect important conservation lands: The Sprawl Scenarios assume recent densities and patterns of development will continue over the next two decades, while factoring in the impacts of sea level rise on Florida’s lands and the resulting need for population relocation. The Conservation Scenarios account for the same population growth and sea level rise as the Sprawl Scenarios but assume new development will be more compact and will avoid much of the state’s highest priority lands for conservation.
Baseline
2040 Sprawl Scenario
2070 Conservation Scenario
Under the Sprawl 2040 Scenario Florida is projected to have 4.9 million more residents, a 23% increase over 2019, and lose almost a million acres of land to development. But with more sustainable development patterns and conservation of priority natural lands, Conservation 2040 could result in more than 5 million more acres of protected natural land, almost 2.4 million more acres of protected agricultural land, and 272,000 fewer acres of developed land when compared with the Sprawl Scenario.
Under the Sprawl 2070 Scenario, Florida is projected to have 12.2 million more residents, a 57% increase over 2019, and lose 3.5 million acres of land to development. But with more sustainable development patterns and significant land conservation, Conservation 2070 could result in almost 1.3 million fewer acres of developed land, more than 5 million more acres of protected natural land, and almost 2.3 million more acres of protected agricultural land.
Strategies to address these challenges and save Florida’s special places include protecting vital conservation, agricultural and other working lands like those on Florida Forever and Florida Greenways lists, supporting funding for greenways and corridors that protect wildlife habitat and provide recreational opportunities, establishing incentives and increasing funding to help landowners conserve important agricultural lands and other working landscapes, and working to significantly lessen the impact of new development on Florida’s lands and waters.
Land Conservation Planning Strategies
Over the decades, a three-tiered approach to land conservation has evolved in Florida. The top includes large statewide and regional land acquisition and protection efforts intended to establish “islands” of protected and relatively intact habitats, such as promoted through Florida Forever and the earlier Preservation 2000 as described above.
Other statewide initiatives include Florida’s Greenways and Trails program – first launched by 1000 Friends of Florida and subsequently transferred to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection – which encompasses more than 10,000 miles of existing and proposed land trails along with 4,000 miles of designated paddling trails.
Out of greenways planning has evolved the statewide Florida Wildlife Corridor, a visionary 18-million-acre network of interconnected lands and waters which protect our drinking water, connect wildlife habitat, support agriculture, and provide critical ecosystem services. Other large-scale planning initiatives under the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity including Areas of Critical State Concern, the Rural Land Stewardship Area Program, and Sector Planning.
The middle tier of land conservation initiatives focuses on creating regional and community-wide green infrastructure to promote conservation within large landholdings, large developments, and neighborhoods. This involves improving land use planning, development design, and best management practices by both the public and private sectors. Tools include incorporating conservation provisions into conservation elements and other sections of the local comprehensive plan, putting land under conservation easement, and promoting more compact development through comprehensive planning and other strategies.
The third tier includes programs directed at protecting habitats within neighborhoods and backyards, usually implemented by individual citizens, families and/or neighborhoods. Florida-specific programs include Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ and the Florida Water Star programs which are discussed in 1000 Friends’ Water 2070 project.
Working to sustain Florida’s rural
and natural lands: A call to action
Wildlife habitat planning strategies
The Florida Wildlife Corridor
Close to 90% of all Floridians live in or are within 20 miles of the Florida Wildlife Corridor. In recent years, the Florida Legislature has appropriated more than $1 billion to expand protection within this visionary 18-million-acre network of interconnected lands and waters which protect our drinking water, connect wildlife habitat, support agriculture, and provide critical ecosystem services.
Land protection – either through outright purchase or conservation easement – is the primary tool currently being used to protect the corridor, but not all land in the corridor can or should use these programs. Sound community planning must play a significant and complementary role in protecting these resources so vital to Florida’s future.
To share workable planning strategies, the University of Florida Center for Landscape Conservation Planning and 1000 Friends of Florida partnered on a free series of four two-hour online seminars to outline strategies to support “corridor-compatible communities.”
Even if your community is not within or adjacent to the corridor, this seminar provides valuable information on Florida-specific planning and land conservation strategies that help save special places and build better communities in our rapidly growing state.
Agricultural Lands
Roughly a third of Florida’s land is currently in agriculture, but development and, to a much lesser degree, sea level rise are projected to result in the loss of about 120 acres of agricultural land a day – or almost 45,000 acres a year – between now and 2070.
The loss of as much as 2.2 million acres of agricultural land over the coming decades will impact the important contributions provided by agriculture to Florida’s economy and quality of life and threaten the conservation values that many of these lands provide.
According to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Science (IFAS), the direct economic contributions of the agriculture, natural resource, and food industries in 2019 included $106 billion in sales and 1,279,638 jobs.
Florida’s agricultural lands also provide essential ecosystem services including protecting water supply and quality, providing flood control, supporting climate resilience, sequestering carbon, harboring wildlife, promoting outdoor recreation, and more.
Agriculture 2040/2070 is intended to shed light on the significant threats facing these lands, and what can be done to lessen impacts over the coming decades.
Current Agriculture by General Category
Projected Loss of Ag Land Under 2040 Sprawl Scenario
Projected Loss of Ag Land Under 2070 Sprawl Scenario
Florida Forever State Land Conservation Funding
1000 Friends founder Nathaniel Reed played a leading role in creating Florida’s leading conservation and recreation land acquisition program, Preservation 2000, and its successor, Florida Forever. Together these programs have resulted in the purchase of more than 2.5 million acres of land. 1000 Friends is a leading advocate for funding Florida Forever in the manner intended, to protect this state’s imperiled natural lands and the waters they protect.
Here is how you can support more robust funding for Florida Forever:
Meet with your legislators before the session starts and help them understand how their district will benefit from funding Florida Forever. Ask legislators to champion a funding commitment source for land conservation. Ask them to collaborate on an op ed.
Target your message to your legislators’ concerns and perspectives. Some are persuaded by logic, others by emotion. Politicians also likely focus on the political consequences of a decision. Prepare concise talking points to develop a convincing narrative. Provide visuals (photos or videos) when possible.
Organize visits to conservation lands to share your love for natural Florida and why these lands are essential to Florida’s environment, economy and quality of life. Invite legislators, local elected officials, editorial board members and other journalists. Make sure you have permission to visit the land and that the elected officials have agreed to having members of the media present.
Work with your local elected officials to sponsor adoption of a resolution in support of a dedicated funding source for land conservation. Ask them to have the local government make it one a legislative priority. Ask them to meet with legislators in support of funding. Ask them to collaborate on an op ed.
Help organize a rally at a local conservation property with other interested organizations and individuals, or look for an opportunity to volunteer and share the word on other local events supporting funding for land conservation. Seek media coverage and share the event widely on social media.
Attend your legislators’ town halls or delegation meetings. Find out the dates, share the word, prepare questions and attend. When the next Legislative Session approaches, 1000 Friends provides information on upcoming local delegation meetings on our Upcoming Events page.
Write op eds or letters-to-the-editor, meet with your newspaper’s editorial board, or contact journalists with story ideas. Don’t forget about weekly and monthly local publications, talk radio, public radio, television stations with weekend public affairs programs.
Share information on social media. If a post or article resonates with you, consider spending $5 to share it with friends of friends.
Local Land Referenda in Florida
1000 Friends of Florida has long been a proud supporter of state and local land conservation programs. As noted 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 10 million acres of precious natural lands across our state. These programs are complemented by county ballot initiatives, authorizing local governments to secure local funds to match with state dollars to protect valuable lands.
Over the decades, 1000 Friends of Florida has been pleased to support a number of county land referenda to protect local lands. In 2022, 1000 Friends’ endorsed successful land referenda initiatives in Alachua, Brevard, Indian River, Nassau, and Polk Counties. Find out more here.
In 2020, 1000 Friends of Florida proudly endorsed land referenda in Collier, Manatee, and Volusia counties, and voters overwhelmingly voted yes on local ballot initiatives that authorized modest tax increases to protect their natural lands and waters. These initiatives provide important funds to protect local lands that store and cleanse drinking water, provide abundant recreational opportunities, and protect threatened wildlife and their habitat.
By saving Florida’s special places today we are protecting our quality of life for us, our children and future generations.
Webinars
View all past webinars here
Planning to Protect the Florida Wildlife Corridor
Close to 90% of all Floridians live in or are within 20 miles of the Florida Wildlife Corridor, a visionary 18-million-acre network of interconnected lands and waters which protect our drinking water, connect wildlife habitat, support agriculture, and provide critical ecosystem services. The University of Florida Center for Landscape Conservation Planning and 1000 Friends of Florida partnered on this free series of four two-hour online seminars to outline planning strategies to support “corridor-compatible communities.”
Agriculture 2040/2070
Agriculture is a mainstay of Florida’s economy, with its lands also providing essential ecosystem services. Building on Sea Level 2040/2070, Agriculture 2040/2070 focuses on the impacts of future development and sea level rise on agricultural lands and the many values they provide, with a discussion on strategies to keep lands in production and protect conservation values.
Florida’s Rising Seas: Sea Level 2040/2070
Population growth and sea level rise promise to be the two defining drivers of how and where Florida develops over the 21st century. The University of Florida Center for Landscape Conservation Planning and 1000 Friends of Florida partnered on Sea Level 2040 and Sea Level 2070, each of which provides GIS-based analyses of how Florida could accommodate its growing population on diminishing lands over the coming decades, and the impacts more compact patterns of development, increased land conservation, and other state and community planning actions will have on our natural, agricultural, and other lands.
Forces of Nature: Land Conservation in Florida with Clay Henderson
In his book, Forces of Nature: A History of Florida Land Conservation, noted environmental lawyer and educator Clay Henderson discusses the evolution of conservation in Florida. Henderson celebrates the individuals and organizations who made the Sunshine State a leader in state-funded conservation and land preservation. For this webinar, he focuses on the intersection between land conservation and growth management in Florida.
The Legacy of the Swamp Peddlers with Jason Vuic
Award-winning author Jason Vuic published The Swamp Peddlers, a tale of misguided land development in Florida during the grow-at-any-cost 1950s and ’60s. Jason discusses the legacy of these “swamp peddlers” who continue to impact the way Florida grows and develops to this day. With lessons from Hurricane Ian, he weaves in his thoughts on a more sustainable future.
Lessons from the Ocklawaha
The campaign to “Free the Ocklawaha” is moving forward, offering lessons for other parts of Florida. Dammed in 1968, the iconic Ocklawaha River once connected Silver Springs to the St. John’s River and the Atlantic Ocean. A series of presenters cover campaign development, polling, and the environmental and economic benefits of restoration.
Supporting Land Conservation Initiatives in Florida
Find out about two key land conservation initiatives in Florida and how you can support them. See an excellent overview of the Florida Forever program, our state’s major conservation and recreation lands acquisition program, and how to support more robust funding for this key program. Also explore the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership, a coalition of federal agencies, state and local governments and non-governmental organizations working with private landowners in Florida and across the nation to advance sustainable land management practices around military installations and ranges, including land conservation, agriculture and forestry, and climate resilience.
Sustainable Landscaping Principles and Practices
Explore best practices, trends and market opportunities for sustainable landscaping in the State of Florida. Sustainable landscaping is a set of landscaping principles and practices which minimize environmental degradation and make more efficient use of energy, water and other natural resources.
Urban Tree Selection for Sustainability
What role can local governments and property owners play in promoting healthy ecosystems within urban environments? This webinar focuses on the importance of maintaining existing and selecting new sustainable vegetation for Florida communities with an emphasis on the role of local governments.
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