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RESOLUTION NO. 2007-166 A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTY FLORIDA, SUPPORTING ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR FLORIDA FOREVER AND THE CREATION OF A SUCCESSOR PROGRAM. WHEREAS, the Florida Forever program and its predecessor Preservation 2000 program have immeasurably contributed to environmental health, quality of life, recreation, and sustainability in Florida for this and future generations; and WHEREAS, Florida Forever has acquired over one million acres throughout Florida since 2000 and allocates $300 million annually to purchase and restore environmentally sensitive and outdoor recreation lands, and has done so through numerous successful partnerships with cities, counties, state agencies, water management districts, nonprofit organizations, private landowners, and others in achieving its conservation purposes and WHEREAS, Florida Forever, through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Water Management Districts, Division of Forestry and others produces benefits that include clean air and water healthy fisheries and wildlife habitat; improved water supply protection; and protected open spaces including greenway corridors, recreational and park lands, forests, and water bodies; and WHEREAS, Florida Forever, through the Florida Communities Trust, has assisted Florida's cities and counties in protecting their cultural and historical resources, meeting the challenges of growth management, and providing recreational outdoor experiences in both urban and rural settings, and WHEREAS, Florida Forever has helped to save many of Florida's beaches, rivers, bays, forests coral reefs and estuaries that provide the foundation for our $3 billion tourism industry that attracts more than 80 million visitors each year; and WHEREAS, thirty Florida local governments, including Indian River County, have enacted land acquisition financing programs in the past decades, and these conservation programs serve to leverage Florida Forever funding and increase the impact of State land conservation funding; and WHEREAS, Florida is experiencing rapid population growth, with approximately 1,100 new residents every day; and Floridians demand a high quality of life that includes clean water and air, green open space access to water and recreational opportunities; and WHEREAS, Florida Forever and other land conservation programs must compete in Florida's market of surging land and housing prices; and, WHEREAS, the effectiveness of Florida Forever has diminished because of escalating land prices and the impacts of inflation; and,