Florida Senate - 2026 (NP) SR 1800 By Senator Brodeur 10-01768B-26 20261800__ Page 1 of 5 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Senate Resolution 1 A resolution affirming the importance of the Florida 2 Wildlife Corridor and its significant environmental, 3 cultural, economic, and tourism value as a unique 4 natural resource and recognizing February 17, 2026, as 5 “Florida Wildlife Corridor Day.” 6 7

WHEREAS, the campaign to establish the Florida Wildlife 8 Corridor began 16 years ago, and supporters saw their vision 9 become reality with the passage of the Florida Wildlife Corridor 10 Act of 2021, and 11

WHEREAS, the Florida Wildlife Corridor establishes a 12 geographic area of more than 18 million acres of land, of which 13 10 million acres are public conservation lands that could be 14 permanently disconnected from each other without the additional 15 conservation of nearly 8 million acres of currently unprotected 16 opportunity areas connecting them, and 17

WHEREAS, Florida’s population has grown from 21.8 million 18 when the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act was signed to more than 19 23.8 million today, resulting in urban and suburban sprawl 20 consuming rural and natural land within and adjacent to the 21 corridor, and 22

WHEREAS, the nearly 8 million acres of opportunity areas 23 that still need protection consist largely of working ranches, 24 farms, and forests, the majority of which can be protected 25 through conservation easements with willing landowners, thereby 26 supporting the state’s agricultural economy and contributing to 27 the long-term food security of this state and the nation, and 28

WHEREAS, the Legislature has appropriated significant 29

Florida Senate - 2026 (NP) SR 1800 10-01768B-26 20261800__ Page 2 of 5 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. funding for the state’s conservation programs, providing 30 incentive for conservation and sustainable development while 31 preserving the green infrastructure that is the foundation of 32 this state’s economy and quality of life, and 33

WHEREAS, since July 2021, more than 400,000 acres of land 34 in the Florida Wildlife Corridor have been approved for 35 protection by Governor Ron DeSantis and the Cabinet, including 36 Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson, who made the 37 corridor a priority during his term as Senate President, with 38 funding appropriated by the Legislature from the Department of 39 Environmental Protection’s Florida Forever program and the 40 Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Rural and 41 Family Lands Protection Program, and 42

WHEREAS, the nearly 62,000-acre Raiford to Osceola Greenway 43 project, made possible through the voluntary conservation 44 easement by Weyerhaeuser Forest Holdings, Inc., is located 45 within the Florida Wildlife Corridor and serves as a historic 46 example as the largest conservation easement completed in 47 Florida’s history, led by the Department of Environmental 48 Protection’s Florida Forever program, helping to permanently 49 connect an urgent and vulnerable gap by utilizing the designated 50 funding for the Ocala to Osceola Wildlife Corridor, and 51

WHEREAS, the Florida Forever program continues to bolster 52 its statewide success, having closed on 210 conservation 53 easements totaling 464,846 acres and maintaining a robust 54 pipeline of interested landowners dedicated to land 55 conservation, as evidenced by the current portfolio of 138 56 projects totaling 2,088,443 acres, and 57

WHEREAS, since 2023, the Department of Agriculture and 58

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Consumer Services’ Rural and Family Lands Protection program has 59 experienced a 90 percent increase in interest from willing 60 landowners seeking to conserve working agricultural lands within 61 the Florida Wildlife Corridor, as demonstrated by the submission 62 of more than 500 applications from Florida landowners 63 representing over 600,000 acres at an estimated value exceeding 64 $2.1 billion, which highlights the growing commitment and 65 enthusiasm of landowners to participate in conservation efforts, 66 and is supported by the expansion of delegated authorities, 67 resulting in the successful protection of more than 224,000 68 acres of land since the program’s inception, advancing both 69 conservation and agricultural viability, and 70

WHEREAS, together, the Florida Forever program and the 71 Rural and Family Lands Protection program empower landowners to 72 do their part, making these programs critical to ensuring the 73 long-term protection and connectivity of the Florida Wildlife 74 Corridor by safeguarding both natural and working landscapes for 75 the benefit of future generations, and 76

WHEREAS, the state’s prioritization of the Florida Wildlife 77 Corridor has prompted many federal and local programs to 78 increase their investment in Florida conservation, and 79

WHEREAS, these programs share the state’s goal of 80 protecting an additional 600,000 acres in the Florida Wildlife 81 Corridor by 2030, balancing the state’s commitment to urgent 82 conservation with the demand for development to accommodate the 83 more than 2 million new residents projected to move to this 84 state within the next 5 years, and 85

WHEREAS, public access to the Florida Wildlife Corridor was 86 greatly expanded in 2023 when the Legislature passed and 87

Florida Senate - 2026 (NP) SR 1800 10-01768B-26 20261800__ Page 5 of 5 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. undeveloped,

NOW, THEREFORE, 117 118

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida: 119 120 That the Senate affirms the importance of the Florida 121 Wildlife Corridor and its significant environmental, cultural, 122 economic, and tourism value as a unique natural resource and 123 recognizes February 17, 2026, as “Florida Wildlife Corridor 124 Day.” 125