About the FCC
The FCC is committed to protecting Florida's environment using a three pronged approach:
1. Uniting Florida's conservation community, through collaboration and the open exchange of ideas and information
2. Educating Florida's citizens and decision makers on environmental policy issues
3. Training citizens to be more effective advocates
The FCC works to increase the effectiveness of the environmental community.
We are a coalition of over 80 conservation-minded organizations and over two thousand individuals devoted to protecting and conserving Florida’s land, fish and wildlife, and water resources. The FCC builds consensus on key environmental policy issues so that the conservation community can speak with one voice.
Our free online Daily News Brief provides the most relevant environmental news and opinion pieces to keep Florida's citizens and decision-makers well-informed about our state's most pressing environmental issues.
We organize the highly successful Speak Up event series which has been attended by more than 5,000 Floridians and call citizens, like you, to Action when we need Floridians to stand together for Florida's environment.
We host free training sessions led by our Chairman, former Florida Governor and US Senator, Bob Graham, and work with citizens one-on-one to encourage them to be more effective advocates. Our elite citizen advocates are pursuing personal relationships with their elected representatives and made over a hundred calls to decision makers during the 3-month 2016 legislative session.
Our PRIORITIES
Restoring reasonable funding for Florida’s regional water management districts to provide for water quality protection, adequate water supplies, flood protection, and natural resources protection.
Funding Florida Forever including acquiring land for water resource protection.
Reaffirming Florida’s commitment to restore the Everglades, upon which South Florida’s water supply and quality of life depends.
Managing Florida’s water resources at the regional, not state level.
Ensuring that growth management laws and policies support sustainable use of water.
Promoting efficient use and conservation of water.
Opposing efforts to privatize Florida’s water.
Our story:
In 2011 Floridians witnessed one of the most environmentally destructive legislative sessions in the history of their state.
The budget for Florida’s water management districts was cut by $700 Million and 596 staff positions were eliminated.
The state’s comprehensive growth management law was dramatically weakened.
The Department of Community Affairs, the state's growth management agency, was abolished.
Governor Scott vetoed the entire $300 million annual appropriation for Florida Forever, the state’s preeminent land conservation program.
The Department of Environmental Protection's staff was reduced.
Environmental safeguards that activists worked for decades to put in place were dismantled and years of bipartisan environmental stewardship were replaced by the leadership of special interests.
In the face of this destruction, environmental Champions Bob Graham, former Florida Governor and United States Senator, and Estus Whitfield, former Principal Advisor to 5 Florida Governors, teamed up to form the Florida Conservation Coalition (FCC). Both Estus Whitfield and Senator Bob Graham, along with Victoria Tschinkel, former Secretary of the Department of Environmental Regulation, lead the FCC today, bringing conservation organizations together to share information, collaborate, and form a stronger, more united front to fight against the forces that would destroy Florida's environment for future generations.
Today, the FCC is a non-partisan coalition of over 80 environmentally-minded organizations and over 2,000 individuals dedicated to protecting Florida's land, waters, and wildlife.
Charter members
Founder & Chairman:
Bob Graham, Former Governor of Florida & U.S. Senator
Vice Chairmen:
Nathaniel Pryor Reed, Former Assistant Secretary of the Interior, Former Chairman of SFWMD, Founder & Chairmen Emeritus of 1000 Friends of Florida
Com. Lee Constantine, Seminole County Commissioner and Former State Senator, State Representative and Mayor of Altamonte Springs
Conservancy of Southwest Florida
Individuals:
Lester Abberger, Former Board Member of 1000 Friends of Florida, Audubon Florida, & Florida Conservation Voters
John Finlayson, Agriculturist, Jefferson County, Former Chairman of the SRWMD
Bill Kerr, Environmental Consultant, Brevard County, Former Chairman of the SJRWMD
Gary Kuhl, Former Executive Director of SWFWMD
Jay Landers, Former Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection & Former Director of the Department of Natural Resources
Allan Milledge, Former Chairman of the Elms Committee and SFWMD
Roy Rogers, Former Budget Chair of SFWMD, Chairman Emeritus of 1000 Friends of Florida & the Florida Chapter of The Nature Conservancy
Auley Rowell, Agriculturist, Taylor County, Former Chairman of SRWMD
Earl Starnes, Former Dade County Commissioner, Former Director of the Division of State Planning
Sonny Vergara, Former Executive Direcotr of SWFMD and SJRWMD
Estus Whitfield, Former Principal Environmental Advisor to 5 Florida Governors
“It shall be the policy of the state to conserve and protect its natural resources and scenic beauty. Adequate provision shall be made by law for the abatement of air and water pollution and excessive and unnecessary noise and for the conservation and protection of natural resources.”