By Bob Romig, FGTF Board Member

The 2024 Legislature passed significant legislation that will have a positive impact on greenway and trail users in Florida. The legislation authorizes additional funding for land conservation and management, imposes new penalties for drivers who seriously injure or kill vulnerable road users, and continues funding for the Greenways and Trails System, including the SUN Trails Program.

Gaming Compact Revenues for Land Conservation and Management. CS/SB1638 authorizes the use of revenues from the 2021 gaming compact between the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the State of Florida for the acquisition and management of conservation lands and the identification and prioritization of critical clean water infrastructure investments. The legislation would provide the distribution of funds to:

• Support the wildlife corridor through the acquisition of lands and conservation easements.
• Create a Local Trail Management Grant Program to provide grants to assist local governments with the operation and maintenance of trails within the Florida Greenways and Trails System, which includes the SUN Trail Network.
• Fund land management activities of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
• Provide $2 million from the General Revenue Fund to the University of Florida to continually update the Florida Wildlife Corridor plan and the Florida Ecological Greenways Network plan.

It is important to note that litigation relating to the legality of the 2021 Gaming Compact is currently pending in the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Protecting "vulnerable road users". CS/CS/HB1133 passed the Senate and House of Representatives unanimously and, if approved by the Governor, will impose new penalties on drivers who seriously injure or kill vulnerable road users, a group that includes people walking and biking. The legislation would suspend driver licenses, require offenders to take driver courses, and impose fines of at least $1,500 for injuring and at least $5,000 for killing a vulnerable road user. A proposed bill that would have addressed distracted driving by banning the use of handheld wireless devices did not pass.

Greenways and Trails Funding. The annual Appropriations Act would continue funding for the SUN Trail Program and the Florida Greenways and Trails System, which combine to provide hundreds of miles of shared-use, nonmotorized paths throughout the state.