Progress in Conservation Serves as National Model, But the Urgency to Protect Wild Florida Remains
Dreamy Hammock Archway by Ethan Coyle
Florida Wildlife Corridor by Mike Reagan
St. Petersburg, FL, July 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today marks the four-year anniversary of the signing of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act, a landmark bipartisan commitment that recognizes the Florida Wildlife Corridor’s 18-million-acre geography as essential to the state’s ecological, economic, and cultural future.
Since its passage in 2021, the Corridor Act has sparked incredible momentum and investment in conservation, securing more than 317,000 acres through state programs such as Florida Forever (Florida Department of Environmental Protection) and Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services). In total, over 10 million acres within the Florida Wildlife Corridor are already protected, with 8 million acres remaining as opportunity areas for permanent connection.
“Florida is proving what’s possible when diverse partners—from state agencies to ranchers, scientists to community leaders—unite around a shared vision,” said Mallory Dimmitt, CEO of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation. “But we must keep going. The Corridor remains under threat with 500,000 acres projected for development by 2030, so to meet the urgency of this moment, we need a sustained investment of at least $500 million annually for state programs, strong local leadership through county-level funding, and bold private sector partnerships.”
Across Florida, hundreds of organizations are working together to connect, protect, and restore the Corridor. As the champion and guidepost for this movement, the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation helps unite changemakers to elevate the Corridor and accelerate the protection of its most urgent, vulnerable, and irreplaceable connections.
They accomplish this through several activities such as hosting regional planning workshops to help identify gaps in protection while building relationships with decision-makers, creating a sense of place within communities that economically rely on the Corridor through their mural campaign, traveling exhibitions, and educational installations, and by leading expeditions in the most urgent and vulnerable areas of the Corridor alongside local conservation partners while being filmed for subsequent short documentaries. This organization also hosts a biennial event called Corridor Connect, which recently brought together more than 700 conservationists to solve the most pressing challenges facing the Corridor.
Today, Florida’s efforts are being recognized across the country as a national model for collaborative, large-scale conservation. The Corridor Foundation remains committed, alongside hundreds of partners across the state, to ensuring that the Corridor is not only connected—but permanently protected—for generations to come. Learn more about the Corridor geography and the organization by visiting floridawildlifecorridor.org.
Attachments
- Dreamy Hammock Archway by Ethan Coyle
- Florida Wildlife Corridor by Mike Reagan
CONTACT: Marly Fuller Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation pr@floridawildlifecorridor.org
