FSC's 2025-26 Florida Budget Breakdown - A Step in the Wrong Direction for Conservation Funding

Governor DeSantis signed Florida’s 2025 - 2026 budget on Monday, June 30. Overall, the budget passed by the Legislature moved environmental restoration and preservation funding backwards with significant cuts to Florida Forever, the defunding of the water quality grant program, and the repeal of legislation passed unanimously just last year allocating Seminole Gaming Compact funds for key environmental priorities. On top of the Legislature’s weak budget, Governor DeSantis used his line-item veto power to slash additional key projects for Florida’s springs and rivers.

Governor DeSantis Vetoed Funding to Restore the Ocklawaha River ⁠- A Lost Opportunity

The ball was in DeSantis' court to finally reverse the damage created when the Ocklawaha was dammed for the abandoned Cross-Florida Barge Canal project. Unfortunately, the Governor failed to recognize the importance of Ocklawaha restoration and continues to disregard the health and needs of our springs and rivers.

Breaching the Rodman Dam and restoring the Ocklawaha River would revive 20 lost springs, enhance Silver Springs and the St. Johns River, open up critical manatee habitat, and provide increased recreational opportunities for fishing and paddling.⁠ The 50-year battle to restore the Ocklawaha continues, and we'll continue to fight for the revival of a free-flowing Ocklawaha!

Springs Funding - A Drop in the Bucket

Once again, there is a major disparity in funding between environmental restoration in North and South Florida, drawing a clear picture of our elected officials’ priorities. In the 2025-2026 Florida Budget, springs restoration has been allocated the minimum amount allowable by law, $50 million. Compared to the roughly $800 million set aside for Everglades restoration, Florida’s springs and rivers continue to be neglected by the Legislature and Governor. It's no surprise to springs protectors that the health of our springs is declining, and without significant funding, Florida’s springs, rivers, and rural communities will suffer.

Florida Forever Significantly Underfunded at $18 million - A Slap in the Face for Conservation

The past two years conservation organizations have asked the Legislature to allocate a minimum of $500 million from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund for the Florida Forever program, the State’s leading conservation and recreation land acquisition program. Florida Forever is a science-based and transparent program that supports fee-simple acquisitions and prioritizes projects with ecological significance, historical value, water resource protection and recreational value. This year, the budget includes a measly $18 million for Florida Forever, a notable decrease from the $100 million minimum required by Florida law.

Unfortunately, Florida Communities Trust, Florida’s state-funded land acquisition program for increasing local recreational opportunities and public access, did not receive any funding in this year’s budget.

On the other hand, the State increased funding for the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, from $100 million to $250 million. Unlike Florida Forever, the Rural and Family Lands Program is limited to conservation easements on agricultural lands. Rural and Family Lands conservation easements do not allow public access or provide the same environmental benefits as acquisitions under the Florida Forever program.

Pork Barrel Project - A Bad Way to Govern

The phrase “pork barrel” is used to describe government funding for projects that prioritize local interests over broad policy goals. Pork barrel projects are often politically motivated and inefficient when compared to projects that originate through established government programs.

Water Projects

In 2023, the Florida Legislature amended Section 403.0673, Florida Statutes, creating the Water Quality Improvement Grant Program to prioritize and fund scientifically selected, cost-effective projects to address wastewater, stormwater, and agricultural sources of nutrient loading to surface water or groundwater. In the 2025-26 budget, the Legislature abandoned this fair, scientifically-driven process in favor of more than $437 million in “pork barrel” water projects selected based on politics. Governor DeSantis vetoed more than $50 million of these projects, however the Water Quality Improvement Grant Program will still receive no funding for the next fiscal year.

Land Acquisition Projects

Rather than invest in Florida’s premier land conservation programs like Florida Forever, the Legislature and Governor continue on a short-sighted path favoring projects over trusted programs.

Remember last year’s $400 million Groveland boondoggle, the expensive and unvetted project to redirect over one hundred million gallons of polluted water per day from South Florida into the St. Johns River. Thankfully, our legislators came to their senses and decided to clawback those funds this year. However, their pattern of circumventing the state’s transparent and science-based land acquisition process continues with over $50 million allocated to land conservation projects that are not high priority on the Florida Forever list and would not have been acquired without bypassing the fair process.

Emblematic of the problems with pork barrel projects is the acquisition of a spoil island, already partially submerged, in Volusia County. Despite being appraised at only $175,000, Florida taxpayers are forking over $20 million, more than the total appropriation for Florida Forever, for land that soon will be underwater and has no documented ecological value. While this appropriation will bail out a developer from a bad business decision, it does little to protect Florida’s waters, lands, and wildlife and is a prime example of why Florida should fund programs like Florida Forever, not politician’s pet projects.

Gaming Compact Funding for Conservation - A Broken Promise

Just last year, the Florida Legislature and Governor DeSantis celebrated the passage of SB 1638, dedicating 96% of revenues from the Seminole Gaming Compact to funding environmental priorities. One year later, the same legislators who unanimously supported SB 1638 passed a budget implementing bill that reneges on this promise, cancelling all conservation funding from the Gaming Compact this year and in all future years. It is an incredibly disappointing and hypocritical move by the Legislature and Governor at a time when our natural resources need dedicated funding the most.

FSU Wakulla Springs Lab Funding VETOED - A Penny Wise and Pound Foolish Veto

Last year, we celebrated the start of a collaborative project between FSU’s Coastal and Marine Laboratory and the College of Communication and Information focused on research, education and public outreach to restore Wakulla Springs. Unfortunately, Governor DeSantis vetoed funding for the project in this year’s budget. At less than a million dollars, this research project would have paid for itself many times over by identifying effective projects and policies to improve the health of Wakulla Springs.

Governor DeSantis Secured Funding for the Florida Wildlife Corridor - A Bright Spot in the Budget

In the Legislature’s attempt to reduce state spending, funding for the Florida Wildlife Corridor was on the line. Thankfully, the Governor vetoed the proposed clawback of $200 million from the Florida Wildlife Corridor. These funds, plus the funds remaining in the program, are still available for land conservation projects in Southwest Florida and the Ocala National Forest to Osceola National Forest corridor.

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We were able to secure big policy wins for Florida’s environment this legislative session with the Kill the Drill bill and State Parks Protection bill both passed and signed into law. Although we didn’t have the same success with the budget, we’ve built more relationships with conservation allies in the Capitol and will continue to work together to grow support for our water and land conservation programs next year.

We need Florida’s leaders to understand the long-term value of investing in programs like Florida Forever over short-sighted projects in order to make a significant impact for the health of Florida’s springs, rivers and aquifer. We appreciate everyone who stayed persistent throughout the extended legislative session calling and emailing legislators and the Governor to advocate for the places we love and fight hard to protect.