During a press conference in Naples, Gov. Ron DeSantis highlighted $100 million in funding for the Florida Wildlife Corridor as appropriated in Senate Bill 1638, which he signed earlier this month. Additionally, DeSantis signed House Bill 1565, the Florida Red Tide Mitigation and Technology Development Initiative, which removes the sunset provision of the initiative and directs the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and MOTE Marine Laboratory to continue to coordinate efforts to innovate technologies to address the impacts of red tide on the state.
Florida Wildlife Corridor encompasses nearly 18 million acres of land. Ten million acres of the Wildlife Corridor are protected conservation lands, including state parks, state forests, and family farms. SB 1638 appropriated $100 million to the Florida Wildlife Corridor from Seminole Gaming Compact revenue for fiscal year 2024-25 and designates the lesser of 26.042% or $100 million to support the corridor.
DeSantis also directed Florida Department of Transportation to continue its efforts to install wildlife crossings along the state’s roadways, including an emphasis on crossings that connect the Florida Wildlife Corridor to allow for the safe passage of Florida’s species, including the Florida Panther. Since 2019, DeSantis has approved more than $129 million in funding for wildlife crossings along state roadways, providing FDOT the resources to support the construction of 38 different wildlife crossings across the state.
HB 1565, Florida Red Tide Mitigation and Technology Development Initiative, bill removed the sunset provision of the initiative, which was established in 2019 to coordinate efforts between the Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and MOTE Marine Laboratory. Since 2019, Governor DeSantis has approved more than $125 million toward algae mitigation and championed innovation as the solution to ecological challenges in the state.
