Florida Senate - 2023                            (NP)    SR 1732
       
       
        
       By Senator Brodeur
       
       
       
       
       
       10-03334A-23                                          20231732__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution recognizing April 11, 2023, as “Path of
    3         the Panther Day” in Florida to highlight the recovery
    4         of the Florida panther and celebrate the Florida
    5         Wildlife Corridor.
    6  
    7         WHEREAS, the Florida panther, the official state animal of
    8  this state, is an endangered species protected under the
    9  Endangered Species Act, with its survival and ultimate recovery
   10  dependent upon protection of the Florida Wildlife Corridor, and
   11         WHEREAS, the Legislature recognizes that Florida’s
   12  population is growing rapidly and that the lands and waters that
   13  provide Florida’s natural infrastructure and vital habitat for
   14  wide-ranging wildlife, such as the Florida panther, need to be
   15  preserved and protected, and
   16         WHEREAS, the Legislature has prioritized investments in
   17  environmental restoration and clean water resources with record
   18  funding for water storage, water quality, and the restoration of
   19  the Everglades, as well as the preservation and expansion of the
   20  iconic Florida Wildlife Corridor, and
   21         WHEREAS, the award-winning film “Path of the Panther” and
   22  the book of the same name, which both feature photography by
   23  Carlton Ward, Jr., highlight these efforts and the urgency to
   24  protect all 18 million acres of the Florida Wildlife Corridor,
   25  10 million acres of which are currently under some form of
   26  protection, with another 8 million acres remaining as
   27  opportunity areas, and
   28         WHEREAS, the remarkable photographs by conservation
   29  photographer and National Geographic Explorer Carlton Ward, Jr.,
   30  which are featured in both the film and book, are prominently
   31  displayed in the office of Senate President Kathleen Passidomo
   32  and featured during the month of April 2023 on the 22nd floor
   33  observatory and gallery of the Capitol in Tallahassee, and
   34         WHEREAS, the opportunity areas highlighted in the film and
   35  book and the related photography exhibits represent the land
   36  required to create a continuous swath of land and water for
   37  wide-ranging wildlife, such as the Florida panther, to access
   38  the habitats they need to survive, and
   39         WHEREAS, with the passage of the Florida Wildlife Corridor
   40  Act, hundreds of thousands of additional acres will be preserved
   41  through Florida Forever programs, including land acquisition
   42  under the Department of Environmental Protection and the Rural
   43  and Family Lands Protection program under the Department of
   44  Agriculture and Consumer Services, as well as other state
   45  programs and efforts to acquire lands for conservation and
   46  preservation, and
   47         WHEREAS, the protected lands of the Florida Wildlife
   48  Corridor include both public conservation lands and private
   49  agricultural lands acquired by the state’s purchase of
   50  development rights of farmers and ranchers who will be able to
   51  continue their operations in perpetuity while ensuring that
   52  these lands will never be developed, and
   53         WHEREAS, on March 8, 2023, the Senate unanimously passed
   54  legislation that will expand access to the Florida Wildlife
   55  Corridor by connecting it to Florida’s Greenways and Trails
   56  System and the SUN Trail Network, as well as to recreational
   57  pathways of heritage small towns across this state, and
   58         WHEREAS, Florida is one of the fastest-growing states in
   59  the nation, and time is of the essence to save and preserve
   60  ranches, groves, farms, and forestry areas that are compatible
   61  with the Florida Wildlife Corridor, and
   62         WHEREAS, the Florida Senate is joined in its efforts to
   63  conserve, preserve, and expand the iconic Florida Wildlife
   64  Corridor by myriad advocacy groups and supporters from across
   65  this state and around the globe, NOW, THEREFORE,
   66  
   67  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   68  
   69         That April 11, 2023, is recognized as “Path of the Panther
   70  Day” in Florida to highlight the recovery of the Florida panther
   71  and celebrate the Florida Wildlife Corridor.