Does Florida’s tech capital dream betray its commitment to conservation?

For years, Florida has quietly positioned itself to become more than a tourism powerhouse. State leaders invested in higher education, expanded aerospace and engineering industries around the Space Coast, marketed the state as a low-tax alternative to California and New York, and courted businesses to relocate.

At the same time, lawmakers were also investing billions of dollars in land conservation, preserving wildlife habitats, and establishing one of the country’s most ambitious conservation networks.