Conservation a priority in Florida's proposed 2024-2025 budget
Florida's proposed Fiscal 2024-2025 Focus on Florida’s Future Budget, announced December 5, 2023, sets aside $60,450,000 to protect Florida’s natural resources. The budget will help provide Floridians with more opportunities to get outdoors and high-priority conservation items including coral reef restoration, derelict vessel removal and habitat restoration initiatives.
The proposed budget includes over $11.3 million and 3 new positions for initiatives supporting “Go Outdoors Florida,” which is FWC’s official licensing and permitting operation for hunting and fishing across the state. The Great Outdoors Initiative, introduced earlier this year, reduced the price of state park passes and FWC sportsman hunting and fishing licenses by 50% through Jan. 13, 2024. To learn more, visit FloridaStateParks.org/Learn/Great-Outdoors-Initiative.
Additional budget highlights include:
• $1.3 million and 7 new positions for coral reef restoration and recovery.
• $1.3 million and 5 new positions for statewide oyster and habitat resiliency enhancements.
• $7 million for boating access and improvement projects.
• $24.3 million for habitat restoration initiatives.
• Over $500,000 and four new positions for enhanced harmful algal bloom response.
• $12.8 million and 4 new positions for land management activities.
• $4.7 million for 12 new law enforcement positions for patrol and investigation.
• $7.6 million for derelict vessel removal.
• More than $350,000 for initiatives intended to enhance the resiliency of saltwater fisheries.
• $600,000 for artificial reefs.
To learn more about the FWC and its programs, visit MyFWC.com.