complete agenda - Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
ECONOMIC BENEFITS
A study done by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in 2003; “The Economics of
Selected Florida Wildlife Management Areas” found that the statewide use of the 17 selected Wildlife
Management Areas (WMA) is large, with over 1.1 million visits annually. Visitors to WMAs spend over
$100 million annually on goods and services while making their trips. In turn, these expenditures create
thousands of jobs and tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue to local and state governments. An
analysis of the non- market value of these WMAs was also done. Non-market value refers to items such
as scenery, available wild land, good habitat, amount of wildlife observed, etc. In 2009 dollars the 17
WMAs had a non-market value of $3,422,581,847.
The economic impact of hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing in Florida was estimated to be
$11,890,706,921 in 2008. This data was derived from the American Sportfishing Association;
“Sportfishing in America, An Economic Engine and Conservation Powerhouse;” International Association
of Fish and Wildlife Agencies; “Hunting in America, An Economic Engine and Conservation Powerhouse”
by Southwick and Associates; and Southwick and Associates; “The 2006 Economic Benefits of Wildlife
Viewing in Florida” all of which were corrected for 2008 using the consumer price index. 6
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