Alternative Text Description for Florida Forever BOT Projects

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MAP OVERVIEW

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

GEOGRAPHIC CONTEXT

The map covers the entire state of Florida, extending from the panhandle region in the northwest (including Pensacola and Tallahassee) to the southern tip of the peninsula. Major cities labeled on the map include Pensacola, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Orlando, Tampa, Palm Bay, and Cape Coral. The Gulf of America borders Florida's western and northwestern coast, while the Atlantic Ocean borders the eastern coast. Notable geographic features labeled include the Coastal Plain in the north, Apalachicola National Forest in the panhandle, Everglades National Park in the south, Dry Tortugas National Park off the southwest coast, and Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge in the Florida Keys. The Straits of Florida are indicated at the southern extent of the map.

KEY INSIGHTS

Florida Forever BOT Projects are distributed throughout the state with notable concentrations in several regions. The most prominent clusters appear in the panhandle region near Tallahassee and west toward Pensacola, along Florida's northeastern coast near Jacksonville, in central Florida around the Orlando and Lakeland areas, and in southern Florida near Cape Coral and extending into the southwestern portion of the peninsula. Projects are generally more dispersed in north-central Florida and along the Gulf of America coast south of Tampa. The distribution pattern suggests a statewide approach to conservation with particular emphasis on coastal areas, the panhandle, and urbanizing regions where development pressure may be greatest.

VISUAL ELEMENTS

Florida Forever BOT Projects

This layer represents the boundaries of environmental land acquisition projects approved for protection and potential acquisition by the state of Florida.

Florida Forever BOT Project Areas (solid orange polygons)

Appearance:

The project areas are displayed as solid orange polygons of varying sizes and shapes distributed across the state.

Distribution:

Project areas appear throughout Florida with concentrations in the panhandle, northeastern coastal areas, central Florida, and southwestern regions. Some projects are small and isolated while others form larger contiguous blocks.

Notable locations:

Major concentrations include the panhandle region extending from Pensacola to Tallahassee and south to Apalachicola National Forest; the Jacksonville area and northeastern coast; the region between Orlando and Lakeland in central Florida; areas surrounding Gainesville; extensive coverage near Cape Coral and Fort Myers in southwest Florida; scattered projects in southern Florida extending toward the Everglades region; and multiple projects along both the Gulf of America and Atlantic coastlines.

Spatial patterns:

Projects tend to cluster near major urban centers, suggesting prioritization of conservation efforts in areas experiencing development pressure. Coastal regions show linear patterns following shorelines and waterways. In the panhandle, projects form a broad east-west band. Central Florida shows a dense network of projects that appear interconnected or in close proximity. Southern Florida projects are more dispersed with larger individual parcels. Many projects align with or surround existing protected areas like Apalachicola National Forest and Everglades National Park.

Overlapping Patterns

Project boundaries sometimes appear in close proximity to major cities and existing protected areas, indicating strategic conservation planning that considers both ecological connectivity and urban growth patterns. The distribution suggests efforts to create conservation corridors and protect critical habitats in areas adjacent to established conservation lands.

SYMBOL GUIDE

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This map represents 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 entire project areas, including both lands that have already been acquired and lands that remain to be acquired. The purpose of this inventory is to maintain comprehensive boundaries of all current approved projects for tracking and management purposes. Users should be aware that the presence of a project boundary does not indicate that all land within that boundary has been purchased or is currently in public ownership.

DATA CONTEXT

Data Source:

The data are maintained by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Division of State Lands, and represent the inventory of all current Florida Forever environmental land acquisition projects approved by the State's Acquisition and Restoration Council. These boundaries are maintained for projects administered specifically by the State Board of Trustees. Data source layer name: FL_FOREVER_DEC25.

Definition Query:

No definition query or filter criteria were applied to this map view.

Scale Information:

The map displays statewide coverage at a scale appropriate for viewing the distribution of all Florida Forever BOT projects across the entire state. This scale allows for understanding regional patterns and concentrations but may not show fine details of individual project boundaries.

Coordinate System:

NAD_1983_HARN_Albers projection.

Time Period of Content:

The data are updated approximately every two to four months. This map represents the December 2025 update of the Florida Forever BOT Projects inventory.

Limitations:

This inventory includes only projects administered by the State Board of Trustees and does not represent the complete Florida Forever program, which also includes projects managed by water management districts and other state agencies. Project boundaries represent entire project areas and include both acquired and unacquired lands; this map does not distinguish between lands already purchased and those targeted for future acquisition. The boundaries are subject to periodic updates as new projects are approved or existing project boundaries are modified.

Map Coverage:

The map covers the entire state of Florida from the panhandle region in the northwest to the Florida Keys in the south, including adjacent coastal waters. Portions of southern Georgia and Alabama are visible in the northern extent of the map for geographic context.

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