Jeff Miller: “Mr. Speaker, I too rise today in support of Senate Bill 117, the Florida National Forest Land Management Act of 2003.…”

“Mr. Speaker, I too rise today in support of Senate Bill 117, the Florida National Forest Land Management Act of 2003. This legislation does allow the State of Florida and the U.S. Department of Forestry to close the loop on a patchwork of land that goes from the panhandle of Florida to the tip of the peninsula. In my district alone some of this land has transferred from the Forestry Service to the Air Force and back to the Forestry Service again. In Okaloosa County, 80 acres are currently leased for the county fairgrounds, complete with ball fields. This parcel is a parcel of land that the Department of Forestry does not want or need, but cannot convey unless this legislation is passed. Under the Federal sites administration law, Congress can identify specific excess land that can be sold by the Forestry Service and with the money earned purchase State forest areas. This method has already been used in Texas, Mississippi, and in Virginia. For Florida, and, more specifically, my district, this is a win-win. Okaloosa County gets the land; the Department of Forestry can use the money it receives to purchase additional property.”