R07-002
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RESOLUTION NO. R 07 - OO~ .
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3 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF BOYNTON
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4 BEACH, FLORIDA, SUPPORTING FLORIDA
5 FOREVER AND A SUCCESSOR PROGRAM FOR
6 THE FUTURE; PROVIDING FOR EFFECTIVE
7 DATE.
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, 9 WHEREAS. the Florida Forever program and its predecessor Preservation 2000
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I ]0 program have immeasurably contributed to environmental health, quality of life, recreation, and
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]] sustainability in Florida for this and future generations, and
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13 WHEREAS, Florida Forever has acquired over one million acres throughout Florida
I. ]4 since 2000 and allocates $300 million annually to purchase environmentally sensitive and other
I ]5 lands, and has done so through numerous successful partnerships with cities, counties, state
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r 16 agencies, water managements districts, nonprofit organizations, private landowners, and others I
17 in achieving its conservation purposes, and
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I' ]9 WHEREAS, Florida Forever, through its partnerships with the Florida Department of
I 20 Environmental Protection, Water Management Districts, and others, produces benefits that
2] include clean air and water; healthy fisheries and wildlife habitat; improved water supply
22 protection; and protected open spaces including greenway corridors, park lands, forests, and
Ii 23 water bodies, and I
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I. 25 WHEREAS, Florida Forever, through the Florida Communities Trust, has assisted
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I: 26 Florida's cities and counties in protecting their cultural 'and historical resources, meeting the
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27 challenges of growth management, directing development away from coastal high hazard areas I
28 and floodplains; fostering a healthier lifestyle for Floridians; and providing recreational outdoor I
29 experiences in both urban and rural settings, and
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31 WHEREAS, Florida Forever has helped to save many of Florida's beaches, rivers, I
32 bays, forests, coral reefs and estuaries that provide the foundation for our $3 billion tourism
33 industry that attract more than 70 million visitors each year, and
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35 WHEREAS, 50 Florida local governments have enacted land acquisition financing
36 programs in the past decades, and this conservation finance programs serve to leverage Florida
37 Forever funding and increase the impact of State land conservation funding, and
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39 WHEREAS, Florida is experiencing rapid population growth, with approximately !
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40 I,] 00 new residents every day; and Floridians demand a high quality of life that includes green
41 space, access to water, pastoral settings and recreational opportunities, and I
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43 WHEREAS, Florida Forever and other land conservation programs must compete in
44 Florida's market of surging land and housing prices; and, i
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I WHEREAS, the effectiveness of Florida Forever has diminished because of escalating ,
2 land prices and the impacts of inflation; and, I
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4 WHEREAS, the funding for the Florida Forever program will sunset in 20]0; and,
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6 WHEREAS, research by the F]orida Forever Coalition has found that well in excess of
7 $]0 billion in State funding is currently needed to purchase wildlife and wilderness areas, I
I 8 parks and open space for our state's ecological sustainability and increasing human
9 population, and
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, I] WHEREAS, research by the Florida Forever Coalition has also found that
1 ]2 additional billions of dollars in ]ocal funding is necessary in order that cities and counties can ,
I 13 protect additional wilderness areas, parks, and open space, in ways fully complementary with I
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]4 those of the State, and 1
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I ]6 WHEREAS, a 2005 public opInIon survey conducted by members of the Florida I
i ]7 Forever Coalition found that 78% of Florida's voters approve of the Florida Forever program, I
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20 WHEREAS, the Florida Forever Coalition endorsed a Florida Forever successor
2] program of$] billion annu~lly, and ,
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I 23 WHEREAS, the benefits of Florida Forever in the City of Boynton Beach include,
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i' 24 . Acquisition of the Jaycee Park property, one of the last remaining properties I
! 25 avai]able for conservation and preservation along the Intracoastal Waterway in
26 Boynton Beach. These 5.57 acres of waterfront property will be forever I
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27 preserved for residents and visitors to freely access open space, conservation I
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28 areas and recreational opportunities. I
29 . Development of Southeast Neighborhood Park property from a mango nursery
30 to a park offering families a playground, basketball courts, picnic areas and a t
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I 3] bike trail within walking distance. ,
32 . Jaycee Park Uplands Development including two bocce courts, picnic shelter,
33 playground, environmental educational kiosks, restrooms, public parking and
34 walking trail.
35 . Wilson Park Development including enhancements to the City's only public ,
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36 sWlmmmg pool, new playground equipment, landscaping, greenway I
I, 37 connection, and picnic areas. I
I 38 The financial support the City of Boynton Beach has received through Florida !
39 Forever for these va]uable projects total $2,3] 0,] 58.50
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4] NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF
42 THE CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, THAT:
43 Section] . The foregoing "WHEREAS" clauses are true and correct and hereby I
44 ratified and confirmed by the City Commission ,
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2 Section 2. The City of Boynton Beach declares its support for the creation and I
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3 funding of a successor program to the Florida Forever sufficient to meet the needs of lands I
4 conservation today and in the generations to come.
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6 Section 3. The City Commission of the City of Boynton Beach declares its
7 intention to inform our representatives in the State Senate and State House of the passage of ,
i. 8 this resolution. ,
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9 Section 4. That this Resolution will become effective immediately upon passage. I
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I 10 PASSED AND ADOPTED this ~ day of January, 2007.
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12 CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA
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28 ATTEST:
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FLORIDA RECREATION DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM (FRDAP)
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Legislative Action for 2007 I
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PRIORITY RECOMMENDED ACTION I
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'" Advocate for removal of the "cap" on the Land Acquisition Trust Fund to allow
state agencies and local governments to have available funding for critically
needed land acquisition and management funding.
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The Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program (FRDAP) is funded from two
sources: 2% of the Florida Forever Program proceeds ($6m annually), and the
i Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Recreation and Parks is to request
5% of the LA TF for the purposes of funding FRDAP grants to local governments. It
should be noted that in most recent years, DEP has not included an allocation for
FRDAP in their budget request, It should also be noted that in several years, the
legislature utilized funds in the LATF to fund FRDAP at higher levels than these two
sources total. The legislature has also utilized General Revenue dollars to fund
FRDAP.
The 2005 legislature passed a law that "caps" documentary stamp tax revenues
deposited into Trust Funds. The land Acquisition Trust Fund (LA TF) was one of the I
"capped" Trust Funds. This action had the effect of shifting $569.4 million in revenues !
from these Trust Funds into the General Revenue fund for FY 07-08.
The "cap" is at the amount of FY 2003-04, in which FRDAP received no allocation from
the LATF.
The amount of Doc Stamp Tax revenue above the "cap" will be deposited into General
Revenue (estimated to be $569.4 m), and will be available for the Florida legislature to
appropriate.
In FY 2006-2007, the Department of Environmental Protection's LATF appropriations I
alone accounted for $164,316,010. The cap would reduce the amount available for i
those programs to $110,900,000, leaving over $53 million unfunded. !
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FACTS
. Doc Stamp revenues deposited into the land Acquisition Trust Fund (LATF) will
be capped at $110.9 million effective July 1, 2007 (F.S. 201.15(2-3))
. DEPs LATF appropriations for FY 2006-07 total $164,316.010
. DEPs LATF appropriations would have to be reduced to $53,416,000 to be within
the LA TF capped amount
. With DEP forced to "make up" unavailable funding for their own programs, this
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would most likely eliminate any ability to request funding for FRDAP.
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POSSIBLE SCENARIOS
.:. The cap is not removed - no funds would be available for FRDAP through the
LATF. We would have to work diligently to assure the list of eligible FRDAP
projects is funded through General Revenue. Keep in mind that the Florida
Forever funding source will no longer be available after 2010. I
.:. The cap is removed - funds would be available for FRDAP through the LATF. In
addition to the statutory funding sources available, we would encourage
legislators to fund the balance of the eligible project list through General
Revenue.
. We then work toward changing statutory language to require
funding of the 5% LA TF funds by DEP.
, . We then work on increasing the maximum amount of FRDAP
, projects to $500,000.
. We then work on increasing the number of active projects to 4.
I . We then work on increasing the number of grant submissions to 3.
NOTE: Other rule and administrative code changes would be
required.
.:. The "year of the cap" is changed to be a more realistic funding year, where
FRDAP received high levels of funding.
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