Florida is buying $300 million in land. It’s for the environment — and developers.
It’s a historic win for the environment, but “we’re not going to pop the champagne just yet,” one environmentalist said.

By Lawrence Mower
Tampa Bay Times
Published:

TALLAHASSEE — One of the rare bipartisan highlights of Florida’s legislative session this year was the decision to spend $300 million buying up land for conservation. Republicans, Democrats and environmentalists called it a boon for the environment, helping save thousands of acres of land in Florida’s delicate wildlife corridors from development. The result could be a boon to landowners and developers as well. The fine print in this year’s budget includes a stipulation that some environmentalists fear could spur development in the state’s wetlands. In a reversal of the state’s current land-buying policy, lawmakers this year wrote in the budget that anyone whose development rights are purchased with the $300 million can also use their land for wetland “mitigation banking” — an obscure environmental program that some environmentalists believe is bad for the state’s wetlands.