Resolution No. 06-12RESOLUTION NUMBER 06-13
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF ATLANTIC BEACH SUPPORTING A
SUCCESSOR PROGRAM TO FLORIDA FOREVER AND THE
CONTINUED FUNDING OF PROGRAMS SUCH AS THE FLORIDA THE
FLORIDA COMMUNITIES TRUST,WHICH ASSISTS CITIES AND
COUNTIES IN THE ACQUISITION,CONSERVATION AND
MANAGEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTALLY AND CULTURALLY
SIGNIFICANT LANDS
WHEREAS,the Florida Forever program and its predecessor Preservation 2000 program
have immeasurably contributed to environmental health,quality of life,recreation,and
sustainability in Florida for this and future generations,and
WHEREAS,Florida Forever has acquired over one million acres throughout Florida
since 2000 and allocates $300 million annually to purchase environmentally sensitive and other
lands,and has done so through numerous successful partnerships with cities,counties,state
agencies,water managements districts,nonprofit organizations,private landowners,and others in
achieving its conservation purposes,and
WHEREAS,Florida Forever,through its partnerships with the Florida Department of
Environmental Protection,Water Management Districts,and others,produces benefits that include
clean air and water;healthy fisheries and wildlife habitat;improved water supply protection;and
protected open spaces including greenway corridors,park lands,forests,and water bodies,and
WHEREAS,Florida Forever,through the Florida Communities Trust,has assisted
Florida's cities and counties in protecting their cultural and historical resources,and in providing
recreational outdoor experiences in both urban and rural settings,and
WHEREAS,Florida Forever has helped to save many of Florida's beaches,rivers,bays,
forests,coral reefs and estuaries that provide the foundation for our $3 billion tourism industry
that attract more than 70 million visitors each year,and
WHEREAS,Florida is experiencing rapid population growth,with approximately 1,100
new residents every day;and Floridians demand a high quality of life that includes green space,
access to water,pastoral settings and recreational opportunities,and
WHEREAS,Florida Forever and other land conservation programs must compete in
Florida's market of surging land and housing prices;and,
WHEREAS,the funding for the Florida Forever program will sunset in 2010;and
WHEREAS,research by the Florida Forever Coalition has found that over $20 billion is
currently needed to purchase parks and recreational facilities,wildlife and wilderness areas,and
open space for our state's increasing population.
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Donna Bussey
City Clerk