Florida
CONNECTING EVERYONE TO THE OUTDOORS IN 2025 AND BEYOND
Connecting Everyone to the Outdoors in Florida!
Pine needles crunching beneath your feet. The echo of gulls carried over a warm sea breeze. An evening sky painted in golden hues. These simple yet profound moments in nature are vital.
In our fast-paced, ever-changing, and sometimes uncertain world, publicly accessible outdoor spaces are essential. They nourish our well-being and remind us that each day holds the promise of renewal. That is why, like you, Trust for Public Land is standing up for the outdoor spaces that bring us joy.
In Florida and across the nation, YOUR support empowers us to advance our mission to create, enhance, and protect outdoor spaces that uplift and connect communities.
Floridians face a crossroads with generational implications. Rapid population growth and increasing demand for development threaten our coastlines, wetland ecosystems, and outdoor recreation economy. Safeguarding these spaces has never been more important. That is why we are working together with residents, local and state agencies, and community partners to prioritize land protection where our actions
maximize impact and make vital connections to protect land and water in the Sunshine State.
We also are working to connect every Florida resident to close-to-home park, trail, and recreation amenities like the Florida Gulf Coast Trail. Connecting seven counties and dozens of cities between Tampa and Naples, this transformative project is coming to life as TPL and our partners continue to add new trails and parks to an already impressive network.
When we unite to achieve our goals, the possibilities are endless. Together, we are shaping a future that prioritizes resilient communities and access to nature for all. Thank you for standing with us today as we create a greener, healthier, and more sustainable tomorrow for everyone.
Sincerely,
George Dusenbury, Florida State Director
Lynn Haven Bayou Park & Preserve.
PHOTO BY JACK GARDNER
Protecting Paradise
TPL understands that public lands are essential to healthy, thriving communities. Florida’s coastlines, forests, and marshes offer inspiration and adventure; they also shelter our communities from extreme weather events and support a thriving recreation economy.
In 2025, TPL successfully led a transformative effort with our partners to protect 2,491 acres of forestland and the headwaters of the Shoal River. The Shoal River is a vital resource for Northwest Florida known for its pristine woodlands, rolling hills, and increasingly rare sandhill ecosystems. Now, the property, once privately owned and inaccessible to the public, will be managed by the award-winning Florida State Parks system as Florida’s 176th state park .
Nestled in the Florida Panhandle near DeFuniak Springs and conveniently located off Interstate 10, this stunning landscape will offer Floridians an outstanding outdoor experience. Soon, visitors will be able to hike, paddle, camp, and fish while enjoying the scenic beauty of the river corridor. Beyond recreation opportunities, the land holds immense conservation value, protecting habitat for rare and listed species as well as wide-ranging species like the Florida black bear. Preserving this landscape
safeguards clean water, prevents habitat loss, and protects the region’s natural resilience. The acquisition was funded through the Florida Forever program, Atira Conservation, EJK Foundation, and the Partnership for Gulf Coast Land Conservation.
We also celebrated the groundbreaking of Tarpon Beachfront Park in July. Located along Crystal Beach, the 3-acre park will offer critical public beachfront access. TPL led negotiations for the purchase of the property after years of work to improve beach access in Destin, Florida.
This
acquisition is a big win for conservation, protecting water quality, enhancing wildlife corridors and expanding recreation opportunities in Northwest
Florida…we’re excited to see it become a state park for future generations to enjoy.”
Bryan Bradner, Deputy Secretary of Land and Recreation Programs, Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Upper Shoal River. PHOTO BY LAUREN YOHO
Conservation through Collaboration
From parks and trails to bayous and beaches, TPL is dedicated to connecting more Floridians to the outdoors. We have been working alongside a strong network of local partners since 1972 to protect unique and ecologically significant landscapes throughout the Sunshine State.
Our partnerships in Florida have been pivotal in safeguarding vulnerable pockets of the Florida Wildlife Corridor. Teeming with wildlife and packed with almost 6,000 miles of trails to hike, paddle and camp, this ecological lifeline supports over 130 at risk species, spans 18 million acres of contiguous wilderness and working lands, and showcases some of Florida’s most iconic landscapes. TPL has completed more than 113 projects and conserved over 131,659 acres of land in the corridor. And our work is just getting started.
This year, we were honored to receive the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation’s 2025 Innovative Partnership Sabal Award for our work on the Wolfe Creek Forest Project . The award celebrates cross-sector collaborations that support the Florida Wildlife
Corridor’s success, highlighting our decades-long partnership with the Longleaf Alliance, Florida Forest Service, Florida Department of Environmental Protection (Florida Forever), Naval Air Station Whiting Field, and Santa Rosa County. Our coalition has protected more than 14,000 acres of connected lands within the corridor.
Wolfe Creek Forest lies within the largest connected longleaf pine forest in the world, one of the most ecologically diverse ecosystems on earth that provides habitat for 900 endemic plant and animal species and supports a variety of aquatic flora and fauna. It also acts as a buffer zone for the Naval Air Station Whiting Field. Thanks to the help of our partners, we proudly celebrate safeguarding this landscape for generations to come.
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With your support, we can continue to protect the Florida Wildlife Corridor, ensuring this vital network of lands and waters remains a haven for people and wildlife across the peninsula.
TPL staff member
Doug Hattaway receiving 2025 Sabal Award. PHOTO BY FLORIDA WILDLIFE CORRIDOR FOUNDATION
Connecting Florida’s Landscapes One Trail at a Time
Whether commuting to your favorite natural space, exploring a new neighborhood, or just enjoying the freedom of close-to-home green space, trails promote healthier, more connected communities. For over 50 years, we have helped protect and create over 3,100 miles of rural and urban trails, from continent-spanning national trails to local greenways and paths treasured by residents and visitors.
We believe that trails make communities better places to live, work, and visit, and we are actively growing trails across Florida including Booker Creek Trail, Wekiva Trail, and Newberry High-Springs. In Southwest Florida, TPL is hard at work realizing an ambitious plan to create the 420-mile Floridal Gulf Coast Trail (FGCT).
When fully realized, the FGCT will be one of the longest continuous trails in Florida, traversing seven counties— Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, and Collier. Drawing hikers, cyclists, and runners of all ages and abilities, the FGCT will catalyze a vibrant community eager to embark on outdoor adventures and
NOT RED OR BLUE, BUT GREEN
TPL’s Conservation Finance team has a long and successful track record of helping the state and local governments in Florida design, pass, and implement legislation and ballot measures that create new public funds for parks and land conservation. When it comes to voting for conservation funding, Republican, Democrat, and unaffiliated voters alike agree that clean air, clean water, protected wildlife habitat, and time outside is neither a red issue nor a blue issue. It’s green. This was clearer than ever in the 2024 election, when voters across the nation passed all 23 ballot measures championed by TPL.
In Florida, voters passed all four measures supported by TPL on the November 2024 ballot, raising over $348 million in voter approved funding for parks and public lands: Clay County ($45 million), Lake County ($50 million), Martin County ($183 million), and Osceola County ($70 million). In Lake County, the Clean Water Protection, Overdevelopment Prevention, Natural Area Preservation, Parks and Trails General Obligation Bond Referendum passed with an overwhelming 80 percent support. Local funding is a powerful leveraging tool.
TPL’s Conservation Finance and Land Protection teams assists local governments in unlocking state and federal money, increasing opportunities to buy land for local programs and priorities.
connect over 2.2 million residents who live within walking distance. The trail will spotlight the region, weaving through nature preserves, historic train depots, small-town main streets, rural lands and farmstands, family-friendly parks, downtown districts, and picturesque coastal landscapes.
Florida Gulf Coast Trail. PHOTO BY MELODY TIMOTHEE
Florida Gulf Coast Trail: Our Progress
The Florida Gulf Coast Trail is TPL’s top priority in Florida. With hundreds of thousands of people moving to the state each year, creating meaningful connective pathways for community access to nature and each other is vital to maintaining our quality of life amidst Florida’s rapid development.
TPL is working with local partners to transform isolated segments of the Florida Gulf Coast Trail into a connected network spanning seven Gulf Coast Counties. Achieving this trail will require complex regional coordination, which is why we have created the FGCT Alliance, a coalition of over 50 key community stakeholders and partners working to advance progress along the trail.
Once complete, the trail will create safe pathways for outdoor recreation, foster health and well-being, attract tourists and visitors, expand access to nature, stimulate economic opportunities, and connect communities like never before. Together, we are focusing on the following key sections:
• Bonita Estero Rail Trail (BERT): 14.9 miles: Acquisition of an existing rail corridor to create a scenic multi-use path connecting Fort Myers, Estero, Bonita Springs and Collier County. Anticipated to close in 2026.
• Beneva Road Trail Extension: 0.5 miles: Building a trail segment in Sarasota County to connect the Legacy Trail to Nathan Benderson Park. Anticipated to open in 2026.
• North Sarasota Legacy Trail Connector: 4 miles: Extending the existing Legacy Trail north through Newtown to Manatee County. Work on this section is anticipated 2025-2029.
DONATE TODAY
Your support will help TPL raise the $2.5 million of private philanthropic funding needed to bring this visionary trail to life.
COMMUNITY CATALYSTS
At TPL, community is at the center of everything we do. Our work is not possible without passionate partners engaged in protecting the places they love. In February, TPL joined the Florida Greenways & Trails Summit, where we honored U.S. Representative Vern Buchanan and Gulf Coast Community Foundation Senior Vice President of Community Leadership Jon Thaxton with Florida’s Community Catalyst Award. Their efforts have secured federal and private philanthropic funding and advanced regional initiatives and public policies benefiting the Florida Gulf Coast Trail for generations to come.
TPL brings decades of experience visioning, planning, and building long-distance trails. Our Land Protection team is adept at bridging the gap between landowners’ needs and public agencies’ processes to quickly and cost-effectively conserve land for long-term stewardship. We have built the country’s second-most prolific rails-to-trails portfolio and are well positioned to make the FGCT a reality for generations of Floridians to enjoy.
BERT aerial view near Coconut Pt. Mall.
PHOTO BY FRIENDS OF BERT
Biscayne Beach Elementary Community Schoolyard
In Miami, Biscayne Beach Elementary has long dreamed of a welcoming, green environment for its students. However, its current playground lacks the vibrancy and functionality needed to inspire play and imagination. Thanks to partnerships with the City of Miami Beach—which committed $1.5M to revamp the schoolyard—and Miami-Dade County Public Schools, we are helping to transform the existing field into a spectacular green space designed by and for both students and community members.
TPL community schoolyards across the country have demonstrated that revitalizing these spaces can boost test scores, reduce stress, enhance creativity, and improve mental and physical health. Once complete, the schoolyard will engage students and community members with inviting green areas, imaginative play equipment, trees, and shade structures. This space will be open
to the public after school hours, becoming an asset for families and benefiting over 10,400 residents within a 10-minute walk
THANK YOU
For helping improve the health, social, and resiliency outcomes for communities in Florida and beyond.
Join Us
Help ensure everyone has access to the outdoors. Every park we create, schoolyard we transform, trail we extend, and landscape we protect is thanks to supporters like you.
tpl.org/donate
George Dusenbury
Florida State Director george.dusenbury@tpl.org 470.571.1814
Elizabeth Giguere
Florida Director of Philanthropy elizabeth.giguere@tpl.org 561.460.8474
1834 Hermitage Blvd., Suite 100 Tallahassee, FL 32308