The holiday season is a time for reflection: we set resolutions for the new year and reflect on all we’ve done in the past 12 months. As we look back on 2025, we’re filled with gratitude for the work our donors and partners have helped us accomplish.
63 Square Miles
The Florida panther is not only running out of time, it’s running out of room. Rapid development and habitat fragmentation are detrimental to their genetic diversity and movement. The issue inspired the Florida Panther Payment for Ecological Services (PES) Program. The program compensates private landowners in panther territory for improving and maintaining their land for these iconic big cats. By stitching together these plots of land, the panther can enjoy connected habitat and avoid its number one cause of death. In 2024 alone, vehicles caused 30 panther deaths, nearly 13% of the known population. With our partners at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, we proudly announced the program resulted in 63 square miles of protected panther habitat earlier this fall.
894,900 Coral Larvae
It seems Florida’s Coral Reef just can’t catch a break. After the devastating stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) made its way through the 360-mile reef tract, warming ocean temperatures bleached over 90% of the disease survivors. Luckily, the Florida Coral Rescue Center (FCRC) offers a glimmer of hope for the future of Florida’s Coral Reef. Hundreds of corals were rescued prior to the spread of SCTLD and housed in the Orlando-based coral ark, making it the largest collection of rescued Florida corals in the world. Not only does this serve as a gene bank, it also provides a safe place for coral spawning, a complicated reproductive process difficult to replicate in captivity. The talented staff of the FCRC has perfected the conditions necessary for coral spawning of many species, including symmetrical brain coral, boulder brain coral, and great star coral, resulting in 894,900 coral larvae this spawning season. Created through partnerships with organizations like Disney, SeaWorld, and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, our Foundation is a proud supporter of the FCRC and its promise to restore Florida’s Coral Reef to its former glory.
Four Million Clams
The Titusville Causeway Multi-Trophic Restoration is Florida’s first project to bring together several natural solutions in one project. Years of storms, rising seas, and constant wave action have steadily eroded this shoreline, but we’re aiming to fix that. Nicknamed “super clams” for their extraordinary resilience, these hard-shell clams come from a small group that survived a devastating algal bloom in 2011 when most of their kind perished. Their descendants have been carefully bred for strength and superior water-filtering ability. Our partner Sea & Shoreline deployed four million of them by drone to imitate nature’s spawning process. Now safely burrowed in the lagoon floor, each clam can filter up to 20 gallons of water per day, helping restore clarity without the risks that traditional netted clusters pose for manatees, dolphins, and turtles.
1,294 Invasive Burmese Pythons
Defending our one-of-a-kind Everglades ecosystem against a perfectly camouflaged snake with no natural predators is a hefty job. That’s why we’ve partnered with organizations across the state and are attacking it from all sides. The annual Florida Python Challenge has been a tool in our python-removing tool box for years. As sponsors of the public awareness event, our donors helped make the removal of 294 pythons this summer possible. Not to be outdone, our partnership with FWC and INVERSA leathers made a splash in just three short months: 1,000 pythons were harvested for sustainable leather production to be used in the fashion industry. The partnership supports our Invasive Species Fund, proving how creative solutions and shared purpose can drive measurable conservation success.
45 Acres
The urgency of submerged aquatic vegetation restoration work became clear in 2021 when manatee deaths skyrocketed along Florida’s east coast due to starvation. These iconic marine mammals are not only losing their primary food source, dozens of other species rely on these eelgrasses to act as breeding grounds and nurseries. Our Foundation has been committed to restoring underwater habitats across the state, from the Indian River Lagoon to Weeki Wachee River. This year, we proudly planted 45 acres of submerged aquatic vegetation restoration for wild Florida.
Two EcoRover Track Chairs
Preserving Florida’s outdoor heritage means ensuring everyone, regardless of ability, can experience its beauty and adventure. Thanks to the generosity of NextEra Energy Foundation, the charitable arm of Florida Power & Light, and in partnership with SportsAbility Alliance, FWC, and our Foundation, two new EcoRover track chairs are making wild Florida more accessible than ever. Unveiled at Blackwater Wildlife Management Area during an annual FWC-hosted hunt, these all-terrain chairs are built to empower mobility-impaired hunters and outdoor enthusiasts with the freedom to navigate rugged terrain and enjoy nature on their own terms. Through SportsAbility Alliance’s ALLOUT program, they’ll keep breaking down barriers long after the event ends, opening doors to adventure, independence, and lifelong memories.
5,700 Girl Scouts
With our Foundation’s support, the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida’s archery program reached girls across four camp properties, where more than 5,700 participated in archery this year while building leadership, discipline, and skills they will carry for life. Demand still outpaced capacity, especially in rural communities where a shortage of trained facilitators limited access, but our investment helped remove that barrier by supporting the training of more adult volunteers as certified archery instructors. Because of that work, archery opportunities opened wider across eight counties, giving more future conservationists the chance to find their confidence, sharpen their aim, and take their shot at success. Our Foundation supported this work thanks to purchasers of our “deer” specialty license plate, and every tag on the road helped make these experiences possible.
As we close out 2025, these numbers tell a bigger story than acres, larvae, clams, or pythons. They represent habitat reconnected, reefs given a fighting chance, cleaner waters taking shape, and an Everglades protected through commitment and ingenuity. None of it happens without you. Thank you for standing with us, and for making real, measurable conservation possible. We cannot wait to show you what we can accomplish together in 2026.
