Policy

Explore Our Legislative Priorities

• Have Your Land & Steward It, Too

  Protect important and sensitive land and water resources.

  Florida’s landscapes and waterways are the foundation of our prosperity, our way of life, and our resilience in the face of formidable environmental challenges. As a longstanding and active partner with the State in stewarding our lands and waters, The Nature Conservancy supports conserving, restoring, and responsibly managing these irreplaceable resources ensuring that they continue to provide clean water, wildlife habitat, and economic opportunity. From ecosystem restoration to community recreation, protecting Florida’s land and water resources is a win for people, nature, and our future.

• Empower Homegrown Conservation

  Equip local and rural communities to lead in conservation.

  Florida is known for its lush greenery, tropical climes, and natural beauty. It is the land of the Muscogee, Apalachee, Timucua, Seminoles, Tocobaga, Ais, Calusa, Jeaga, Mayaimi, Tequesta, and Matecumbe. We are graced with 1,300 miles of shoreline and the greatest concentration of natural springs in the world. People from all walks of life, from cowboys to snowbirds, have chosen our state to plant roots and build their legacies. Stewarding that heritage is an incredible responsibility, and Florida’s best conservation wins start close to home crafted by communities who know their lands, waters, and needs best. The Nature Conservancy supports policies that equip local and rural communities with the tools, resources, and authority needed to safeguard their own natural heritage. Ensuring that local and overlooked voices have the power, funding, and technical support they need makes conservation more effective, more enduring, and better aligned with the people it serves. 

• Keep the Lights On

  Produce clean, sustainable, and reliable energy.

  Florida’s energy future should be as bright as its sunshine. The Nature Conservancy in Florida supports policies that encourage clean, sustainable energy while ensuring reliable and resilient power for all Floridians. By fostering a forward-looking energy landscape, Florida can strengthen its economy, reduce harmful emissions, and protect the natural resources that draw people here in the first place, keeping the lights on for generations to come. 

• Put Your Money Where Your Impact Is

  Adequately fund conservation tools and opportunities.

  Conservation success depends on sustained, strategic investment. The Nature Conservancy supports robust, predictable funding that delivers measurable returns for people, nature, and the economy. Investments in land acquisition protect biodiversity, capture and store carbon, and preserve working lands for generations to come. Funding should also prioritize Florida’s most productive and vulnerable water resources. TNC supports stable, increased land and aquatic resource management funding and ensuring that state agencies have the necessary staff capacity. Additionally, The Nature Conservancy is piloting stormwater management innovations in the Indian River Lagoon that could help address nutrient pollution while creating scalable, cost-effective solutions for communities across the state. We support smart, reliable funding now to ensure a stronger, more resilient Florida for the future. The right investments today will keep Florida’s lands, waters, and communities thriving tomorrow.

• Runoff to Resilience Stormwater Pilot Project

  Innovate stormwater management to improve water quality in Florida.

  Nutrient pollution from Florida’s 76,000+ stormwater ponds is a constant threat to our water quality. We can mitigate this growing hazard by networking infrastructure to create more adaptive, resilient systems that limit polluted runoff to waterways. The Nature Conservancy’s Runoff to Resilience program will retrofit stormwater systems and inform new construction by developing innovative technology and advanced tools to deliver a synchronized watershed that adapts and learns. From our Indian River Lagoon demonstration pilot, we will scale up the impact by working with agencies and communities to improve water quality statewide. Funding this project will help improve water quality, achieve state stormwater standards, strengthen community resilience, and safeguard our regional economies. 

  Runoff to Resilience Fact Sheet

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• 2026 Legislative Priorities

  Download a copy of our legislative platform to support your discussions, committee work and budget planning. You can also view our legislative priorities one-pager. Contact information for our Government Relations Manager is included.

• Immediate and Lasting Impact for Florida Communities

  Floridians cherish their natural heritage and are committed to safeguarding it for the future. Land conservation helps improve water quality and supply, boosts resiliency against storms and provides habitat for diverse species. Protecting land also has economic benefits such as support for agricultural productivity and creating more opportunities for people to get outdoors and connect with nature. Investing in land conservation today ensures a healthier, more resilient environment and quality of life for all who call our state home.

• Why The Nature Conservancy Advocates for Nature

  Our mission is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.

  We see an exciting future for nature. A future filled with opportunities and possibilities. A future where nature beats the odds. Where a better tomorrow exists thanks to forests, grasslands and streams. Coral reefs and mountain ranges. Animals great and small. Our human communities. By collaborating across boundaries, borders and divides, we can manifest this reality because together, we find a way.