Florida Forever Land Acquisition Work Plans

Overview

Section 373.199(7), Florida Statutes, requires the District to annually update the Florida Forever Work Plan. This plan, which is also presented as a separate chapter in the Consolidated Annual Report, contains information on projects eligible to receive funding under the Florida Forever Act and also reports on land management activities, lands surplused and the progress of funding, staffing and resource management of projects for which the District is responsible.

Florida Forever Program

In 1999, the Florida Legislature passed the Florida Forever Act (section 259.105, F.S.) which has continued the state’s long-term commitment to environmental land acquisition, restoration of degraded natural areas, and high-quality outdoor recreation opportunities.

While previous programs focused almost exclusively on the acquisition of environmentally sensitive lands, the Florida Forever program is somewhat different in that it authorizes the use of up to half of the program funding for certain types of capital improvement projects. Eligible uses of these funds include water resource development, stormwater management projects, water body restoration, recreation facilities, public access improvements, and removing invasive plants, among others. The remaining fifty percent must be spent on land acquisition.

Since the inception of the District’s land acquisition program, the goal has been to bring as much floodplain as possible of our major rivers and creeks under public ownership and protection. The Florida Forever Land Acquisition Program continues to increase the acres of wetland, floodplain and aquifer recharge areas acquired by the District. To date, over 224,783 acres have been protected for water resource purposes through the land acquisition efforts of the District either in fee simple or through conservation easements.

Florida Forever Land Acquisition Work Plans

Note to Landowners:

The District’s Five-Year Plan identifies District areas that are available for purchase, subject to available funding and the presence of willing sellers. If your property is included in any of our acquisition areas or maps and you do not wish to sell your land to the District, we will remove your property from the acquisition plan at the earliest opportunity. Please contact Carol Bert with the Division of Land Acquisition at (850) 539-5999 or carol.bert@nwfwater.com if you wish to remove your property from possible consideration for purchase. The District will maintain a list of such requests and annually adjust its acquisition plan accordingly.


2024 Florida Forever Water Management District Work Plan


Land Acquisition Work Plan Archives