Please contact us if you have any problems with this page or if you have any suggestions on how we can improve the accessibility of this page. Skip navigation and go directly to content..

Division of Housing and Community Development

Division Home (FloridaCommunityDevelopment.org)

Florida Communities Trust - Florida Forever Grant Program

Program Home | Introduction | Florida Forever Grant Program | Technical Assistance | Program Contacts

Program Purpose

The Florida Communities Trust Florida Forever Program provides grants to eligible applicants for the acquisition of land for community-based parks, open spaces and greenways that further the outdoor recreation and natural resource protection needs identified in local government comprehensive plans.

Program Emphasis

The Florida Legislature requires the Florida Communities Trust Florida Forever Program to:

Emphasize funding projects in low-income or otherwise disadvantaged communities.
Direct at least 30 percent of its funding to projects in Metropolitan Areas and half of that amount within the built-up urban area.
Use no less than 5 percent to acquire lands for recreational trail systems.

Program Authority - Administrative Rules

Florida Forever Program - Rule 9K-7, Florida Administrative Code
Land Acquisition Procedures for Florida Forever - Rule 9K-8, Florida Administrative Code

Program Authority - Enabling Statutes:

Florida Communities Trust Act - Section 380, Part III, Florida Statutes (2006) (opens new window)
Florida Forever Act - Section 259.105, Florida Statutes (2006) (opens new window)

Projects Selected - F.C.T.'s Florida Forever Program Cycle F.F.-7: F.C.T. received 118 grant applications requesting a total of $272 million in Florida Forever funds for the F.F.-7 application cycle. The F.C.T. Governing Board met in Tallahassee on November 2, 2007 to determine the final project scores. The Board selected 20 projects for funding and awarded almost $76 million to communities across Florida. With the matching funds provided by local governments, more than $133 million will be going to Florida's communities for open space and public recreation purposes. The list of 2007 Florida Forever Projects is available in PDF and Excel formats.

Projects Selected - F.C.T.'s Florida Forever Program Cycle F.F.-6: F.C.T. received 115 grant applications requesting a total of $240 million. The F.C.T. Governing Board met in Tallahassee on September 14, 2006 to determine final project scores. The Governing Board selected 24 projects for funding and awarded almost $78 million to communities across Florida. With the match that local governments are providing, more than $136 million will be going to Florida's communities to provide public recreation and green space. The 2006 Florida Forever Projects is available in PDF format.

Projects Selected - F.C.T.'s Florida Forever Program Cycle F.F.-5: F.C.T. received 82 grant applications requesting a total of $167 million dollars. With the match that local governments are providing, a total of $251 million in local land acquisition projects was submitted for funding. The F.C.T. Governing Board met in Tallahassee on September 15, 2005 to determine final project scores. The Governing Board selected 29 projects for funding. The 2005 Florida Forever Projects is available in PDF format.

Projects Selected - F.C.T.'s Florida Forever Program Cycle F.F.-4: F.C.T. received 78 grant applications requesting a total of $135 million dollars. With the match that local governments are providing, a total of $220 million in local land acquisition projects was submitted for funding. The F.C.T. Governing Board met in Tallahassee on September 1, 2004 to determine final project scores. The Governing Board selected 41 projects for funding. The approved F.F.-4 Funding Status Report is available in Microsoft Excel format or PDF format.

Projects Selected - F.C.T.'s Florida Forever Program Cycle F.F.-3: F.C.T. received 105 grant applications requesting a total of $179 million dollars. With the match that local governments are providing, a total of $291 million in local land acquisition projects was submitted for funding. The F.C.T. Governing Board met in Tallahassee on October 2 and 3, 2003 to determine final project scores. The Governing Board selected 48 projects for funding. The approved F.F.-3 Funding Status Report is available in Microsoft Excel format.

Projects Selected - F.C.T.'s Florida Forever Program Cycle F.F.-2: F.C.T. received 114 grant applications requesting a total of $185 million dollars. With the match that local governments are providing, a total of $301 million in local land acquisition projects was submitted for funding. The F.C.T. Governing Board met in Tallahassee on November 14 and 15, 2002 to determine final project scores. The Governing Board selected 23 projects for funding and 6 projects for contingent funding. The F.F.-2 Funding Status Report is available in Microsoft Excel format.

Projects Selected - F.C.T.'s Florida Forever Program Cycle F.F.-1: The F.C.T. Governing Board met in Tallahassee on November 29 and 30, 2001 to determine final project scores. The Governing Board selected 74 projects for funding and 10 projects for contingent funding. The Florida Communities Trust approved the awarding of $122,014,958.92 in grants to the 75 funded projects. As funds became available, F.C.T. funded projects ranked 1-103 in the F.F.-1 cycle. The F.F.-1 Funding Status Report is available in Microsoft Excel format.