National Audubon Society

Florida Legislative Session and Policy Update

A busy week as we rapidly move toward the start of the 2025 Florida Legislative Session.

Highlights, with more details below:

- Governor DeSantis released his proposed budget. He calls for a total budget of $115.6 billion, which is $3 billion less than last year but has significant money set aside for Everglades restoration and conservation priorities.

- The state park protection bill will be heard in a Senate committee next week.

- In the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget Subcommittee, presentations highlighted the sharp increase in acreage under conservation easements (more than 200,000 acres, 94 percent of which are in the Florida Wildlife Corridor), as well as the Florida Forest Service investment in diversifying state forest offerings by expanding recreational opportunities.

Increase in Conservation Easements and Billions for Restoration

This week, Governor Ron DeSantis announced his Focus on Fiscal Responsibility Budget Proposal for Fiscal Year 2025–2026, which totals $115.6 billion and is more than $3 billion lower than the current year budget, even with $14.6 billion in reserves.

Highlights

- The Governor’s budget includes more than $1.5 billion for his Everglades and water initiatives, bringing the total investment during the Governor’s three years of the second term to $4.8 billion, exceeding his $3.5 billion goal.

- The budget proposal includes more than $132 million to protect Florida’s conservation lands, with funding requests for Florida Forever, Florida Communities Trust, Florida Recreation Development Program, and the Stan Mayfield Working Waterfronts Program. Governor DeSantis also recommended $100 million for the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, which creates conservation areas while still keeping the land in private ownership.

- The budget proposal includes $261 million to brace against rising sea levels and to protect coral reefs, a necessary investment as we work toward building more resilient communities.

Scroll down to see additional budget highlights.

Eastern Bluebird (above). Photo: Brady Linkous/Audubon Photography Awards

State Park Bill in Senate Committee Next Week

Background

Florida’s state parks protect some of the state’s most ecologically significant lands, providing habitat for wildlife, clean water, and recreational opportunities. They are widely enjoyed by Florida residents and are an important part of our ecotourism economy. Recent proposals to build golf courses, sports courts, and hotels within state parks were met with almost unanimous disapproval and highlighted the need for better processes for park planning and management.

What the Bill Does

SB 80, the State Park Preservation Act, will prevent harm to the natural and cultural resources of our state parks by ensuring transparency in park planning and management and by restricting certain types of development. The bill requires public hearings for all updates to land management plans, prohibits hotels and other lodging establishments from being built in state parks, and requires reports on maintenance needs and budgetary shortfalls.

What We Like

- Prohibits hotels and other large lodging developments in state parks.
- Prohibits facilities harmful to state park resources, such as golf courses, tennis courts, pickleball courts, ball fields, and other similar facilities.
- Aims to strengthen protections for state parks while promoting resource-based recreation.
- Brings budget shortfalls and maintenance needs to the forefront.

What Needs Improvement

- Further clarify the terms “to the maximum extent practicable,” “significant harm,” and “avoid” ensuring that decisions will favor the park’s natural resources.
- Provide a clear description of the types of buildings, such as rustic cabins and concessionaires that should be allowed.
- Include provision that will require reporting of budgetary needs for habitat and natural resource management to ensure comprehensive land stewardship.
- Legacy existing facilities, like the historic Wakulla Springs Lodge, and allow rustic cabins that have that have traditionally existed in state parks under the new legislation.
- Amend language to state that the Division of Recreation and Parks is the entity responsible for the draft management plan materials not the Division of State Lands as mentioned in the bill.

Use Your Voice

We may need you in the coming weeks to engage with committee members to advocate for state parks. Next week, you can tune in to watch the bill in committee on thefloridachannel.org on Tuesday, February 11, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Hillsborough River State Park

Little Blue Heron walking across the sand

Conservation Easements and Florida Forest Service Update

This week, the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget Subcommittee (Chair, Rep. Esposito (R-Ft. Myers)) heard from J.P. Fraites, the director of the Florida Department of Agriculture’s Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. From its inception in 2001 through 2022, the program had acquired 66,045 acres through easements. From 2023 through 2025, the program has tripled the area with over 200,000 acres under easements, with close to 94 percent of these easements lying within the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

The Committee also heard from Director Rick Dolan of the Florida Forest Service, the jurisdictional agency that responds to wildfires on public and private lands. While Florida has an ecosystem that is dependent on fire, Director Dolan said that they respond to an average of 2,200-2,500 wildfires each year.

The program manages 38 state forests in Florida and hosted more than 14 million visitors in the last fiscal year, with total land revenues close to $7 million in the 2023-24 fiscal year. This past year, revenues from timber was over $4 million; however, in recent years, there has been increasing instability in the timber markets.

As a result of recent hurricanes, several timber mills shut down – timber processing has become a challenge. The Florida Forest Service is investing in diversifying state forest offerings by expanding recreational opportunities.

Little Blue Heron. Photo: Kira Hender/Audubon Photography Awards

CONNECT WITH US

Audubon Florida
4500 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 350, Miami, FL 33137
(305) 371-6399 | fl.audubon.org

© 2025 National Audubon Society, Inc.

Unsubscribe