HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem #06 Approval of Florida Forever Resolution
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RESOLUTION NO. 2009- XXX
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF OCOEE, FLORIDA SUPPORTING THE
CREATION AND FUNDING BY THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE OF A
SUCCESSOR PROGRAM TO THE FLORIDA FOREVER LAND
CONSERVATION PROGRAM AND URGING THE ORANGE COUNTY
LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION TO VIGOROUSLY SUPPORT THE
CREA T10N AND INCREASED FUNDING OF SUCH A SUCCESSOR
PROGRAM; DIRECTING THE CITY CLERK TO FORWARD A COPY OF
THIS RESOLUTION TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE FLORIDA SENATE,
THE SPEAKER OF THE FLORIDA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
GOVERNOR CHARLIE CRIST, AND THE ORANGE COUNTY
LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION; PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
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; and
WHEREAS, Florida Forever has acquired over 600,000 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, meeting the challenges of growth
management, directing development away from coastal high hazard areas and floodplains;
fostering a healthier lifestyle for Floridians; and 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, more than 50 Florida local governments have enacted land acquIsitIon financing
programs in the past decades, and this conservation finance programs serve to leverage Florida
Forever funding and increase the impact of State land conservation funding, and
WHEREAS, Florida is experiencing rapid population growth, with approximately I, I 00 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 a land and
housing market that has escalated dramatically in recent years; and,
WHEREAS, the effectiveness of Florida Forever has dim inished because of escalating land prices
and the impacts of inflation; and,
WHEREAS, virtually all of the funding for the Florida Forever program through the Fiscal Year
2009-\ 0 is already obligated to or anticipated for planned land purchases, having virtually no
funding for new conservation projects for two years; 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, and
WHEREAS, a 2007 public opinion survey conducted by members of the Florida Forever Coalition
found that more than 70% of Florida's voters approve of the Florida Forever program, and
BE IT RESOLVED by the Commissioners of the City of Ocoee:
Section 1.
Section 2.
Section 3.
Section 4.
That the City hereby declares its support to the Florida Legislature for the
creation and funding of a successor program to the Florida Forever
program and requests the Orange County Legislative Delegation to SUPPOl1
and advocate for the creation and funding of a successor program to
Florida Forever.
That the City hereby declares its support to the Florida Legislature for an
immediate doubling of funding for Florida Forever because of the
enormous need for land conservation funding in all parts of Florida and
request the Orange County Legislative Delegation to work actively for
this increase in funding,
The City Clerk is hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to
the President of the Florida Senate, the Speaker of the Florida House of
Representatives, Governor Charlie Crist, and the Orange County
Legislative Delegation.
Effective Date. This Resolution shall become effective upon signature by
the Mayor.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City ofOcoee, Florida, this 3rd Day of November 2009,
ATTEST:
CITY OF OCOEE, FLORIDA
Beth Eikenberry
S. Scott Vandergrift, Mayor
(SEAL)
APPROVED BY THE OCOEE
COMMISSION ON THE ABOVE DATE
UNDER AGENDA ITEM NO.
FOR USE AND RELIANCE ONLY
BY THECITY OF OCOEE, FLORIDA;
APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY
this _ day of ,2009,
FOLEY & LARDNER LLP
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