Brian Bratner, deputy secretary of land and recreation for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, told the Senate Natural Resources Committee that Florida Forever is “the state's premier conservation and recreation land acquisition program.” He said lands are acquired either through conservation easements or fee simple transactions and are protected “in perpetuity and protected from development.”

Bratner told the committee that since January 2019 the state has invested more than $1.4 billion and acquired about 374,000 acres, with 91% of those acres inside the Florida Wildlife Corridor. He said DEP negotiated purchases that saved taxpayers “over $52,000,000” since 2019; in calendar year 2024 DEP completed 99 transactions totaling 68,764 acres for about $321,000,000, and for 2025 DEP reported 80,181 acres acquired across 91 transactions for roughly $286,000,000.

Bratner described two statutory protections: Article X, Section 18 of the Florida Constitution and provisions in chapters 253 and 259, Florida Statutes, which govern the disposition of conservation land. He explained that the Acquisitions and Restoration Council (ARC), a 10-member body with scientific and land-management expertise, evaluates proposed dispositions or exchanges and provides a recommendation to the governor and cabinet, who make the final determination. Bratner said public notice and a public hearing are part of the ARC process.

Senators pressed DEP on how parcels come to the ARC agenda, whether local officials are consulted before posting and what safeguards exist against political influence. Senator Smith asked why a proposed swap involving about 600 acres and 3,000 acres was withdrawn from the ARC agenda; Bratner replied that an applicant may withdraw their request before it is posted or heard. On notice timelines, Bratner said ARC postings are notified seven days in advance of the public meeting. He said the ARC’s review is the opportunity for public comment and for council members to weigh scientific and conservation factors before the governor and cabinet act.

On the use of funding, Bratner said a recent Okaloosa parcel was purchased with a legislative line-item in the fiscal-year budget and not with Florida Forever appropriations. He described guardrails for Florida Forever purchases: parcels must be within a Florida Forever boundary, reviewed by the division of state lands and recommended to ARC before being approved by the governor and cabinet.

Bratner highlighted recent acquisitions and milestones including 12,262 acres in Bay County that will become Sandy Creek State Forest, a 74-acre addition in Polk County to Allen David Broussard Catfish Creek Preserve State Park, a 2,480-acre new state park in Walton County that buffers Eglin Air Force Base, and the program’s 200th conservation easement. He also introduced Bradley Perry as DEP’s new director of state lands.

Discussion at the meeting focused on process clarity rather than new policy changes. Several senators asked DEP to provide additional documentation about specific past transactions and about sequencing when items have reportedly gone to the cabinet before ARC review. Bratner said DEP would follow up with more information.

The committee did not take a committee-level action on Florida Forever during this meeting.