Haley Moody, Howard T. Odum Florida Springs Institute
September 9th, 2026
This summer, several springs stopped flowing in High Springs.
When aquifer levels drop during periods of drought, springs at higher elevations stop flowing first. At the Florida Springs Welcome Center in downtown High Springs, where the Florida Springs Institute’s offices are located, we’ve had to redirect visitors to springs at lower elevations because highly popular recreational spring parks along the Suwannee and Santa Fe Rivers were closed due to non-flowing, stagnant water conditions.
Alachua County, where High Springs is located, just requested that both the St. Johns River Water Management District and Suwannee River Water Management District update their current water shortage orders to include a mandatory 20% reduction of all Consumptive Use Permits (the largest groundwater use permits in the state), to remedy this water shortage.
I applaud Alachua County’s Board of County Commissioners for making this request.
Strengthening water shortage orders would certainly help, and all counties should be engaging with their Water Management Districts in this way. But there’s another action that Florida’s State government could take that would yield even more lasting benefits for our springs. That option is to provide substantial funding for the State’s land conservation programs – because with 1,000+ freshwater springs in Florida, land protection is springs protection.
In landmark legislation to protect natural areas in the state of Florida, the 1999 Florida Forever Act specifically calls out the need for protection of our groundwater and springs through protective land acquisition.
With over $3 Billion in funding since the first Florida Forever land purchase in 2001, the Florida Forever program made our state a national leader in conservation funding.
The importance of land conservation for springs and aquifer protection was restated by the Florida legislature in 2026 (2026 Florida Statutes):
“The state’s groundwater, surface waters, and springs are under tremendous pressure due to population growth and economic expansion and require special protection and restoration efforts, including the protection of uplands and springsheds that provide vital recharge to aquifer systems and are critical to the protection of water quality and water quantity of the aquifers and springs.”
Yet somehow, exactly $0 were allocated for the Florida Forever program in the 2026- 2027 annual state budget.
Although land acquisition continues in Florida, with $425 Million allocated for the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program in the 2026- 2027 state budget for preservation of agricultural lands, it is crucial to note that agricultural easements do not offer the same springs and aquifer protection as natural areas acquired through Florida Forever. Although agricultural lands are precious and should be properly managed and protected, they are also currently the largest contributor of nitrate pollution and groundwater depletion of our groundwater in the springs region of North Florida.
What does this all mean? It means that springs protection is not being properly prioritized and funded by Florida’s governor and legislature.
Restoring funding for the Florida Forever program is restoring protection for the Floridan Aquifer and springs. Protecting our aquifer and springs also protects our drinking water, which I think we can all agree is no small asset.
Gubernatorial candidates Byron Donalds and David Jolly (as well as all candidates for seats in Florida’s House of Representatives and Senate) need to make it clear to the public where they stand on funding Florida Forever before the upcoming 2026 election. In November, Florida’s voters will decide if clean, abundant drinking water and flowing springs are a priority for our state.
Haley Moody is director of the Howard T. Odum Florida Springs Institute in High Springs.
