{"id":343887,"date":"2026-07-17T21:10:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T21:10:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/343887\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T21:10:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T21:10:09","slug":"the-alliance-for-floridas-national-parks-joins-the-national-park-foundation-national-park-friends-alliance-and-park-partner-groups-in-urging-congress-to-pass-the-america-the-beautiful-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/343887\/","title":{"rendered":"The Alliance for Florida\u2019s National Parks joins the National Park Foundation, National Park Friends Alliance and Park Partner Groups in urging Congress to pass the America the Beautiful Act"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Alliance for Florida\u2019s National Parks has joined the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalparks.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">National Park Foundation,<\/a>\u00a0the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.friendsalliance.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">National Park Friends Alliance<\/a>\u00a0and 160 national park philanthropic partners in a letter urging Congress to pass the bipartisan America the Beautiful Act (S.1547 \/ H.R.9250) to reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) \u2013 a critical U.S. government fund dedicated to the stewardship and maintenance of America\u2019s greatest treasures.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The letter, addressed to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, highlights the successes of the LRF since its creation under the Great American Outdoors Act of 2020, and the urgent need for reauthorization following its expiration on September 30, 2025:<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe LRF provided $1.3 billion annually, totaling $6.5 billion over its five-year lifespan, to undertake nearly 400 priority infrastructure projects across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. This landmark investment in our national parks and public lands delivered measurable results and improvements to critical park infrastructure, including road repairs, trail and campground upgrades, restoration of historic structures, rehabilitation of utility systems, and modernization of visitor facilities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThese projects preserved America\u2019s natural and historical legacy \u2013 uniquely American places that are the envy of the world. They enhanced access, improved safety, and elevated and modernized the visitor experience. In addition, the LRF\u2019s investment delivered irrefutable economic impact, supporting more than 72,000 jobs, injecting $5 billion into the labor market nationwide, and contributing $8 billion to the nation\u2019s GDP. These benefits have been felt most acutely by the local communities in every state and territory that surround and depend upon healthy, thriving parks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Alliance for Florida\u2019s National Parks supports the America the Beautiful Act and reauthorization of the Legacy Restoration Fund,\u201d said Lulu Vilas, CEO of The Alliance for Florida\u2019s National Parks.\u201d This critical funding is already improving essential infrastructure and protecting historic and natural resources in parks like Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks. We are grateful for the bipartisan leadership advancing this effort to ensure Florida\u2019s national parks, including Everglades, Biscayne and Dry Tortugas National Parks, and Big Cypress National Preserve \u2013 and parks like ours all across the country \u2013 remain resilient and protected for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The letter signatories make up a community committed to supporting, protecting and enhancing America\u2019s 433 national parks. Together, they provided more than\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/www.nationalparks.org\/uploads\/2026_ParkPartnersReport.pdf__;!!N96JrnIq8IfO5w!gvDKDcZ2bfjlxtJrc-xcusJcLkLfxggG7hsbsyr4jrtW7_zcjzqNphHEXJmhAhv1dUJn_NtM9kF3ZLGidzB_dB6qL2aG$\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">$720 million<\/a>\u00a0in private funds in 2025, serving as a force multiplier to federal investment in national parks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The letter and list of supporters can be read \u200b<a href=\"https:\/\/nationalparksfoundation-my.sharepoint.com\/:b:\/g\/personal\/cperry_nationalparks_org\/IQC4WCxyawY4TrfMhIR9HN68AQq9KeU3jCX7C0VbohzM4V4?e=MNRw59\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>\u200b.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since its founding, The Alliance for Florida\u2019s National Parks has served as the official philanthropic partner supporting Everglades, Biscayne and Dry Tortugas National Parks, and Big Cypress National Preserve. Its fundraising events create meaningful opportunities for the public to experience the parks while contributing to the protection and enhancement of these vital natural spaces.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For more information about The Alliance, visit\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/floridanationalparks.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">FloridaNationalParks.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About The Alliance for Florida\u2019s National Parks<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Alliance for Florida\u2019s National Parks is the official philanthropic partner supporting Everglades, Biscayne and Dry Tortugas National Parks, and Big Cypress National Preserve. The nonprofit organization provides opportunities to support education, exploration and conservation programs in Florida\u2019s national parks, and is devoted to filling the gaps in government funding, providing critical monetary support to the essential programs provided by each of the parks. For more information, visit\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/floridanationalparks.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">FloridaNationalParks.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Alliance for Florida\u2019s National Parks has joined the\u00a0National Park Foundation,\u00a0the\u00a0National Park Friends Alliance\u00a0and 160 national park philanthropic&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":310424,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":["post-343887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=343887"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343887\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/310424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=343887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=343887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=343887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}