Photo by Carlton Ward Jr.
A male Florida panther travels beneath a wildlife underpass to avoid traffic on State Road 80 near LaBelle, Florida. Panthers once roamed throughout the connected habitat across the entire southeastern United States. Now, only a small population, the last pumas east of the Mississippi river, survives in the fragmented Florida landscape. Road crossings are the leading cause of mortality for panthers. Underpasses like this one and an innovative movement to protect wildlife corridors represent the last best hope for survival of the species.
A priority of Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, the bill (SB 106) will expand Florida's Greenways and Trails System and the SUN Trail Network with the wildlife corridor.
The corridor is envisioned as connecting 18 million acres of land from the Florida Keys to the Panhandle. “I envision Florida’s wildlife corridor as a top destination for recreational tourists from across the country and around the world,” Passidomo said in a prepared statement.
“As I have said before, I believe this will be Florida’s Central Park —- a legacy we can be proud to leave for future generations of Floridians and visitors to enjoy.”
In addition to providing a one-time $200 million chunk of money, the new law will increase from $25 million to $50 million the annual amount of vehicle-registration fees funneled to the SUN Trail Network.
A Senate news release said trail projects within the wildlife corridor attempt to use previously disturbed lands, such as abandoned roads and railroads, utility rights-of-way, canal corridors and drainage berms and permanent fire lines.
