Alternative Text Description for Florida Forever BOT Projects

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MAP OVERVIEW

This map displays Florida Forever BOT Projects across the state of Florida, showing approved environmental land acquisition project boundaries. These areas represent lands proposed for acquisition by the State's Acquisition and Restoration Council due to their outstanding natural resources, opportunities for natural resource-based recreation, or significant historical and archaeological resources. The map specifically shows projects administered by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Division of State Lands, for the State Board of Trustees.

GEOGRAPHIC CONTEXT

The map covers the entire state of Florida, extending from the panhandle region in the northwest near Pensacola and Tallahassee, southward through the peninsula to Miami and the Florida Keys. Major cities labeled on the map include Jacksonville in the northeast, Orlando in central Florida, Tampa and St. Petersburg on the west coast, and Cape Coral, Fort St. Lucie, West Palm Bay, and Coral Springs in southern Florida. The map also shows portions of neighboring states including southern Georgia (with Dothan, Albany, and Valdosta labeled) and southern Alabama. The map displays both the Gulf of America coastline on the west and the Atlantic Ocean coastline on the east, as well as the Straits of Florida at the southern tip.

KEY INSIGHTS

Florida Forever BOT Projects are distributed throughout the state with notable concentrations in several regions. The most prominent clusters appear in the central Florida region around Orlando and Lakeland, along the southwestern coast near Cape Coral and Fort Myers, in northeastern Florida near Jacksonville, and in the panhandle region near Tallahassee and Pensacola. The distribution pattern suggests priority areas for conservation are spread across diverse ecosystems rather than concentrated in a single region. Significant project areas also appear along coastal regions on both the Atlantic and Gulf sides of the state, as well as in interior portions of the peninsula. The distribution reflects the geographic diversity of Florida's natural resources targeted for conservation.

VISUAL ELEMENTS

Florida Forever BOT Projects

This layer represents the boundaries of all current Florida Forever environmental land acquisition projects approved for the State Board of Trustees.

Florida Forever BOT Projects (orange polygon areas)

Appearance:

Solid orange polygon features of varying sizes and shapes distributed across the state.

Distribution:

Projects appear throughout Florida from the panhandle to the southern peninsula, with concentrations in central, northeastern, northwestern, and southwestern regions.

Notable locations:

Spatial patterns:

Projects vary considerably in size from small parcels to large contiguous areas. Some projects appear as isolated parcels while others form linear corridors or larger connected conservation areas. Coastal projects often follow shoreline configurations, while interior projects tend to be more irregular in shape, potentially following natural landscape features such as watersheds, wetlands, or habitat boundaries.

SYMBOL GUIDE

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This map displays only Florida Forever projects administered by the State Board of Trustees through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Division of State Lands. It does not include Florida Forever projects administered by water management districts or other state agencies. The boundaries shown represent the entire approved project areas, including portions that may have already been acquired as well as areas still targeted for future acquisition. The geographic distribution of these projects reflects the state's commitment to protecting diverse natural resources, recreational opportunities, and cultural heritage sites across Florida's varied ecosystems.

DATA CONTEXT

Data Source:

The data comes from the Florida Forever BOT Projects Inventory, which maintains boundaries of all current Florida Forever environmental land acquisition projects approved by the State's Acquisition and Restoration Council and administered by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Division of State Lands, for the State Board of Trustees. Data source layer name: FL_FOREVER_DEC25.

Definition Query:

No definition query or filter criteria was provided for this map view.

Scale Information:

The map is displayed at a statewide scale showing all of Florida and portions of neighboring states, appropriate for viewing the overall distribution and extent of Florida Forever BOT Projects across the state.

Coordinate System:

NAD_1983_HARN_Florida_GDL_Albers (WKID 3087)

Time Period of Content:

The FFBOT data are updated approximately every two to four months, with this version dated December 2025.

Limitations:

The map does not include Florida Forever projects administered by water management districts or other state agencies, so it represents only a subset of the total Florida Forever program projects. Project boundaries shown include both already-acquired lands and areas still targeted for acquisition, without distinguishing between the two statuses.

Map Coverage:

The map extent covers the entire state of Florida from the panhandle to the Keys, and includes portions of southern Georgia and southern Alabama for geographic context.

The alternative text description of this map was AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies.