skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

U.S. gender wage gap grows for first time in a decade; Trump has embraced NC's Mark Robinson, calling him 'Martin Luther King on steroids'; Volunteers sought as early voting kicks off in MN; Women's political contributions in congressional races fall short of men's.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Making Sure 'FL Forever' is Forever

play audio
Play

Thursday, May 5, 2011   

NAPLES, Fla. - A growing chorus of business and environmental voices is calling on lawmakers to save a program that has protected millions of acres of wildlife habitat across Florida.

Florida Forever, the largest land-buying program in the nation, was designed to help protect water resources and conserve vast tracts of wildlife habitat for animals such as Florida panthers, black bears and manatees. After being fully funded for a decade, the program has withered with almost no funds for the past two years because of state budget woes.

Tim Male, vice president for conservation programs at Defenders of Wildlife, says the program is good for the animals that call Florida home - and great for business.

"Protecting land increases the value of nearby homes, it reduces local costs in terms of providing infrastructure, and it's just really shortsighted for the state not to see the benefits of that."

Investing in Florida's tourism, agricultural and real estate industries by funding Florida Forever will help to ensure a healthier economy, Male says. Tourism alone pumps $65 billion annually into the state's economy, with ecotourism growing each year.

Many businesses stand to gain from continuing programs that protect Florida's natural areas, according to Christian Spilker, vice president for land management at Collier Enterprises, an agricultural and development company in southwestern Florida. The program has raised property values and helped spur business, Spilker says, and it would be a huge mistake for lawmakers to let it die.

"If the program goes away, even in the short term, I'm concerned that it goes away forever - and I don't think the people of Florida want that to happen."

With land prices low, Spilker says, now is the time to fund the program before development pressure builds and prices rise again.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Recipients of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant can now access funding to drive financing for thousands of climate-focused and clean energy initiatives. (bilanol/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion …


Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Health Literacy Month, and a Denver-based group is working to help health professionals break a persistent pattern of discrimination …

Environment

play sound

A new report contends fossil fuel funding has biased Columbia University's climate research. The report, by two Columbia students, shows the …


Alabama releases roughly 220,279 men and 78,247 women from its prisons and jails each year. (Chad Robertson/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An Alabama woman is on a mission to help people who've been incarcerated for decades successfully transition back into society. The mission to …

Health and Wellness

play sound

In North Carolina, the gap between Medicaid reimbursement rates and the actual cost of dental care has reached a crisis point, impacting both …

So far in 2024, community health centers in North Dakota have screened 11,580 patients for food insecurity. Through those screenings, more than three thousand box meals have been distributed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

September is Hunger Action Month. In North Dakota, it isn't just food banks trying to help underserved populations get nutritious items. Health …

Environment

play sound

Marine biologists conducting deep dives near five California islands are collecting data they hope will strengthen the case for ending gillnet fishing…

Environment

play sound

Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021