Trust for Public Land in Florida - 2022

THERE IS SO MUCH TO BE PROUD OF IN 2022 AND MORE TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE YEAR AHEAD

Florida

Everg lad es Na tiona l Pa rk Big Cypress Na tiona l Preserve Bisc ayne Na tiona l Pa rk Canaveral Na tiona l Seasho reG U L F O F M E X I C O A T L A N T I C O C E A N LAK E OK E ECH O BEE G E O R G I A A L A B A M A TA L L A H A S S E E O R L A N D O M I A M I J A C K S O N V I L L E TA M P A § ¨ 75 § 4 § 95 § ¨ 10 § ¨ 275 § 10 T A L L A H A S S E E Trus t f or P ubl ic L and compl eted project (la nd protec tion, pa rk c rea tion or restoration, Fitness Zone® [FZ], garden, school pl a yground, tra il , or greenw ay) Na tiona l Pa rk Service la nd Other protected la nd Mil itary la nd 0 25 50 Miles ± Everg lad es and Francis S Ta ylor Wild life Ma na gement Area Everg lad es Na tiona l Pa rk M I A M I § 75 § ¨ 595 § 95 Timu cu an Eco log ical and Histo ric Preserve § ¨ 95 § ¨ 10 § 295 J A C K S O N V I L L E Ta lla ha sse e detail Ja ckson ville deta il Mia mi detail F l o r i d a C O M P L E T E D P R O J E C T S Jul y 20, 20 22 Copyright © Tru st for Pu bl ic La nd Tru st for Pu bl ic La nd and Tru st for Pu bl ic La nd log o are federall y reg ist ered ma rks of Tru st fo r Public Land Informat ion o n t his m ap is pro vided fo r pu rposes of discussio n a nd visua lizat ion o nly www.tpl. org

Trust for Public Land has long believed that everyone needs nature but we know that access to parks and public land is not equally shared. That is why, with your generous support, we are leading a nationwide movement to close this outdoor equity gap. Together, we are creating nature-rich places in the communities that need them most, improving people’s health, nurturing their joy, and strengthening their connection to the outdoors and one another.

Thanks to your generous support in Florida, since 1975, we have preserved over 170,000 acres, while creating a park or natural area within a 10-minute walk of 430,000+

The impact of your giving is felt across the country— from preserved Everglades in Florida to transformed schoolyards in California and beyond. Together, we are ensuring everyone can benefit from nature’s healing and unifying powers.

TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND IN FLORIDA | 3

people through more than 430 completed conservation acquisitions and park development projects.

Thank you for being a TPL

As we head into our next 50 years, we are more committed than ever to connecting everyone to the outdoors. We are focused on growing our impact and inviting new donors, friends, and advocates to our mission.

Escribanochampion!Point,Pensacola,FL

During peak tourist season, the City of Destin’s population can double as visitors flock to the white-sand beaches and busy resorts. There are not many quiet spots for locals to relax away from the hustle and bustle. We teamed up with the city and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to build Captain Leonard Destin Park, a 3.4-acre park in a year-round residential neighborhood inhabited by the folks who hold the jobs that keep this town running. The park includes an accessible beach area, boardwalk, dock, a splash pad, playground, and picnic pavilions.

Expanding access to Florida’s coastline

Lynn Haven Bayou Park & Preserve, Lynn Haven, FL

BOTH PHOTOS: © TPL STAFF

Captain Leonard Destin Park, Destin, FL

Captain Leonard Destin Park

4 | TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND IN FLORIDA

Leonard Destin Park in Okaloosa County, Lynn Haven Bayou Park & Preserve in Lynn Haven, Bay County, Salinas Park addition in Gulf County, Island View Park in Franklin County, and the soon-to-be-completed Dickerson Bay–St. Marks NWR addition in Wakulla County. These parks not only provide access to the shorelines, they also filter stormwater and absorb storm surge to protect nearby communities.

In the last seven years, we have completed seven new water access parks along the Panhandle’s Gulf Coast: Innerarity Point Park in Perdido Key, Navarre Beach Marine Park addition in Santa Rosa County, Captain

Residents and visitors alike are drawn to Florida’s 1,350 miles of coastline and its many bays, bayous, and lakes. Unfortunately, immense private development along the desired shorelines create literal barriers preventing those who do not own waterfront property from accessing the public waters. Private waterfront property owners post signs and hire security to keep beachgoers off of “private” beaches. That is why TPL is helping local governments acquire more beachfront property to expand public access to this important public resource.

Our partners in this ongoing effort include the U.S. Navy, Florida Forest Service, U.S. Forest Service, Gulf Coastal Plain Ecosystem Partnership, Defenders of Wildlife, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Knobloch Family Foundation, and EJK Foundation. Together, we are preserving Florida’s vital ecological and economic resources.

With two projects completed in 2022 totaling over 7,000 acres, and another three projects covering 3,787 acres more in the pipeline, TPL is working with public and private partners to ensure this area remains an ecological and economic asset to the region.

In addition to people, red-cockaded woodpeckers, gopher tortoises, Florida black bears, and rare endemic carnivorous plants and bogs will benefit from the expansion of the state forest.

Florida’sProtectingforestlands

Protecting land in this region is a win-win. It will expand the longleaf pine ecosystem, provide cost-effective and sustainable forest management opportunities, and

protect water in the Big Coldwater Creek, an Outstanding Florida Water. It will assure quality outdoor recreation activities like kayaking and hiking for residents and visitors alike. And it will prevent land-use conflicts between the busiest naval air station in the world and Santa Rosa County residents.

The Wolfe Creek Forest area is at demonstrated risk of development and fragmentation. Nestled between the Blackwater River State Forest and Naval Air Station Whiting Field, the forest is an ideal site for base buffering and a Florida Forever critical natural land priority project as the area of the largest contiguous longleaf pine forest habitat in the world.

Thanks to our cost-effective methods and long history of forming productive partnerships, every $1 you donate will save $11 worth of land.

PHOTO: © LAUREN YOHO / PATH OF THE PANTHER

TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND IN FLORIDA | 5

Make a tax-deductible gift today and protect the future of public lands.

North Florida contains some of the state’s most productive forestland, pristine watersheds, and vital species habitat. It is also home to several strategic U.S. military bases. As Florida’s population grows, the demand for homes, roads, and shopping centers is squeezing out natural areas and increasing land-use conflicts between these vital national security facilities and new residents.

As Lynn and Eugenia worked tirelessly to raise millions of dollars during the pandemic, TPL leveraged our solid reputation to secure a purchase contract for the property. In 2021, TPL transferred the property to the city. While the 0.12-acre parcel is now protected from development and the on-site 7-Eleven has been demolished, the Orland Land Trust continues its work to integrate the property into the broader park.

“TPL was a great partner for us and collaborated with us as we partnered with citizen groups, local businesses, and local government,” says Lynn. “We could not have succeeded without the close connections with TPL. We look forward to working with them on future projects in our community.”

Protect the places you love by making a gift to TPL in your estate plans. Ensure healthy land and livable communities for all by naming TPL as a beneficiary of your will, living trust, or retirement account. Make your legacy one of hope, humanity, and a love of nature—for generations to come.

PHOTOS: © JAIME WUILLIEZ, THE BRANCH, SMALL © BECKY DREISBACH

Lake Eola Park is located in the heart of Downtown Orlando. Over 2 million people visit every year to walk the 0.9-mile loop trail, explore the lake on swan-shaped paddle boats, and enjoy a myriad of cultural events.

“Our first call was to Doug Hattaway, TPL Senior Project Manager, who provided valuable oversite and guidance,” says Eugenia.

partnershipsPowerful

Eugenia Sefcik and Lynn Long, Orlando Land Trust

But as Orlando grows, its neighborhoods’ needs for quality parks and green spaces grows with it. When news broke in 2015 that developers planned to build a 28-story complex on at the corner of East Central Boulevard and North Rosalind Avenue where a convenience store stood, Orlando natives and Orlando Land Trust founders Lynn Long and Eugenia Sefcik advocated for green space instead of high-density development at Lake Eola Park. The two self-described “little old ladies” reached out to TPL for assistance, based in part on our success expanding the park by 1.36 acres in 2013.

6 | TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND IN FLORIDA

GROW YOUR LEGACY

TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND IN FLORIDA | 7

On January 1, 1923, a white mob destroyed the town of Rosewood, Florida, murdering five African American residents and inflicting physical and psychological trauma on countless others. Rosewood, a predominately Black community, was a haven for African Americans who settled there beginning in the mid-1800’s.

particularly during eras of American history with explosive racial violence. This museum aims to create a site where visitors can honor Rosewood’s history, remember the victims, and reflect on current injustices to build a more equitable future for all.

Conserving sites of significance to Black history and culture has long been a part of our work— protecting land and creating parks, with community and equity at the center. Throughout our nearly 50-year history, we have fought to ensure that all Americans are represented in and connected to outdoor spaces, and that includes the nation’s rich array of historic sites.

The history of African Americans in Florida is one of survival and commitment to overcoming oppression,

CONSERVING BLACK HISTORY AND CULTURE

Almost 100 years later, there is not a permanent site to remember the Rosewood Massacre. TPL is partnering with the local community and The Real Rosewood Foundation to create a museum and memorial park to honor Rosewood’s history. Through an interactive community design process and $480,000 in seed funding from the African American Cultural and Historic Grant from the state, TPL is working with local residents to design the museum and memorial on 29 acres in Archer—land previously owned by a Rosewood survivor.

Building a more equitable future

Legacy Trail, Sarasota, FL

The 336-mile-long trail will:

• improve public health and offer residents of all abilities an easy way to be active outdoors

Building a trail of this magnitude is not for the faint of heart. While public conservation and transportation funds will provide much of the funding required for construction, we need your seed funds to partner with nearby communities, local governments and private partners to bring this transformative vision to reality.

Nearly half the trail already exists, but there are many gaps. To complete the trail, TPL is convening an advisory board of local partners, sharing data-rich tools, and providing technical and real estate assistance to bring this greenway to fruition.

8 | TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND IN FLORIDA

• establish a sense of place and community connections

• reduce auto use, alleviate road congestion, and mitigate air pollution.

TPL has a proven record in creating trails in the state— including 20 miles of the Legacy Trail in Sarasota County, two miles of the Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail, and the Dinky Line Trail in Orlando. And we have already completed four acquisitions of rail corridors now open for use along the Gulf Coast Trail route.

We are working with enthusiastic community and government partners to refine their vision for the trail and make it a reality.

• enhance property values, increase tourism revenue, and attract businesses looking to expand or relocate

Building a visionary trail

The Florida Gulf Coast Trail is a visionary greenway effort. Spanning 336 miles and seven counties, this game-changing linear park will serve more than 4 million people living in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, and Collier Counties.

SUPPORT THE GULF COAST TRAIL

10 | TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND IN FLORIDA

One of the first local ballot measures TPL ever led was in Miami-Dade County in 1996. The Safe Neighborhoods Park Act provided much-needed funding for the county’s park system at a time when the conventional wisdom was that a tax increase would never be approved by county voters. It was approved by 67 percent of MiamiDade voters, resulting in a $200 million bond for Florida’s most populous county.

THE LAND + PEOPLE LAB

Since 1996, TPL has generated more than $84 billion nationwide through conservation ballot measures for parks, rivers, springs, natural areas, wildlife habitat, and beach access. We have a remarkable 83 percent ballot passage rate. In Florida alone, we have generated over $20 billion in public funding to permanently protect millions of acres of land and create hundreds of new parks, with over 86 percent success.

The Lab provides tools like the Conservation Carbon Map which helps TPL and other conservation organizations pinpoint—down to the parcel scale— where conservation can provide the greatest climate impact and guide high-level policy discussions.

Securing public funds for conservation

TPL’s Land and People Lab uses evidence-based data to increase the impact of our on-the-ground work and spark a national movement for parks and public land. We inform policies and practices, build partnerships, and share resources to expand the many benefits of nature and the outdoors.

Since then, we have assisted 34 Florida cities and counties secure voter-approved funding for park and land conservation needs. TPL also led the successful campaign for Amendment 1 in 2014, the Water and Land Conservation Amendment. This constitutional amendment is the largest state conservation funding measure in history. Successful ballot measures include a $400 million bond referendum in Broward County for

parks, watershed, wildlife habitat, and open space protection, which was approved by 74 percent of voters in urban South Florida in 2000, and a $5 million bond in the small town of Ormond Beach in 2010 for acquisition and construction of a new beachfront park. In 2020, we successfully won all four of the measures we supported in Florida, including two measures in Volusia County ($294 million total), one in Collier County ($287 million), and one in Manatee County ($108 million).

We are actively working six potential city and county ballot measures in 2022. If these measures advance to the ballot and are approved by the voters, they could generate over $600 million in new public funding for parks and conservation.

Lynn Haven Bayou Park & Preserve, Lynn Haven, FL

Charles Hines , Esq., joined TPL in 2022 as our new Florida Gulf Coast Trail Program Director, guiding the 336-mile Gulf Trail system to reality. Prior to joining TPL, he practiced law in Florida for 32 years, mostly in the areas of business law and real estate, and served eight years on the Sarasota County Commission, ending in 2020.

Kate Brown , Senior Project Manager, joined TPL in 2001. Kate has completed land conservation and park development projects in five states over the last 25 years, including Captain Leonard Destin Park in Destin. She received a J.D. and Masters of Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School and a B.A. from the University of Virginia.

TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND IN FLORIDA | 11

Rachelle Anderson joined TPL in 2022 as Director

for PBS stations across the country for over a decade, most recently at WUCF Central Florida PBS. She has lived in North Carolina, Utah, Idaho, and moved to Central Florida in 2020.

Doug Hattaway, AICP, Senior Project Manager, has been a part of the TPL Florida team since 2000 acquiring conservation lands and building parks to maintain the connection among people, nature and each other. His favorite projects include a 98-acre waterfront park in Lynn Haven and numerous rails-to-trails reuse acquisitions. Before TPL, he worked as a planner with a state emergency management agency and a regional planning council and is a former U.S. Peace Corps volunteer.

TPL FLORIDA TEAM

Conservation Finance Leadership in Florida

George Dusenbury is the VP for the Southeast and Florida State Director. Before joining TPL, George served as Commissioner of the Atlanta Parks & DepartmentRecreation(2010–

Will Abberger, VP, Director Conservation Finance, locally helped make the Florida Water Land Conservation Amendment possible.

Pegeen Hanrahan , Southeast Conservation Finance Director, was a driving force behind Depot Park, a 30-acre Gainesville downtown park.

Previously,standingsupportopportunitiesdonorsconnectPhilanthropyoftogeneroustotothelong-Floridateam.sheworked

14), Executive Director of Park Pride, a nonprofit dedicated to building support for Atlanta’s parks (2004–10), District Director for Congressman John Lewis (2000–04) and in Congressman John Lewis’s legislative team (1993–99).

Every

Join us

Rachelle Anderson Florida Director of Tallahassee,306rachelle.anderson@tpl.orgPhilanthropyNorthMonroeStreetFL32301

George Dusenbury

for helping improve the health, equity, and climate outcomes for communities in Florida and beyond. could not do this without you.

We

VP for the Southeast and Florida State george.dusenbury@tpl.orgDirector

we

Help ensure everyone has access to the outdoors. park create,

THANK YOU

schoolyard we transform, trail we extend, and landscape we protect is thanks to supporters like you. tpl.org/donate/fl

Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook