The Florida State Legislature approved a $500 million plan on Wednesday to reopen the state’s public lands.
But in order to make it happen, lawmakers will need to find a way to fund the plan.
The plan would require the state to use a combination of state money and revenue from private lands.
The state already has used $4 billion in revenues from private land sales to fund most of the plan, and the plan would also require the State Lands Conservation Commission to create a fund to help fund the reopening of some public lands, such as some wildlife refuges.
The fund would be used to pay for a series of improvements, including restoring and updating roads, restoring trailhead access, building parks and hiking trails.
The reopening would not only benefit people and businesses, but also the environment, said Rep. John McReynolds, D-Plantation.
The bill passed in the House, but the Senate is expected to vote on the bill by the end of the week.
“The plan is going to get approved by the Senate, but it’s still going to be a very long process, so it’s going to take a lot of work,” said Rep Michael Williams, R-Gulfport.
Williams said he was hopeful the re-opening would be done by June.