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2009-006 Florida Forever Land Conservation Program RESOLUTION NO. 2009-006 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 CREATION 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 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 a land and housing market that has escalated dramatically in recent years; and, WHEREAS, the effectiveness of Florida Forever has diminished 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 2009-10 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 support 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. (SEAL) APPROVED BY THE OCOEE COMMISSION ON THE ABOVE ltATE UNDER AGENDA ITEM NO. FOR USE AND RELIANCE ONLY BY THECITY OF OCOEE, FLORIDA; APPWVED AS Tl?lORM AND LEGALITY this ~ day of ~k.r, 2009. Fr;;:J~ C ~ 4f/v~ 2