Resolution 2014-033 RESOLUTION NO. 2014- 3
A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF
COLLIER COUNTY, FLORIDA, SUPPORTING SOUTH FLORIDA AG
COUNCIL BUDGET REQUEST TO THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE FOR
THE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER.
WHEREAS, the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC), part of
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), was established as
a OF support facility in 1958 and became a UF/IFAS research and education center in 1986 after
the agricultural industry in southwest Florida convinced the state that the region needed its own
center to serve the region's unique agricultural and natural resource needs; and
WHEREAS, the research, education, and extension activities at SWFREC has been, and
will continue to be, an economic engine for the region and the state; and
WHEREAS, the SWFREC serves the entire State of Florida, focusing on Collier, Lee,
Charlotte, Hendry, and Glades counties, which produce almost 25% of Florida's citrus and
nearly 80%of the tomatoes and other fresh vegetables sold during winter to U.S. markets; and
WHEREAS, southwest Florida agricultural interests, including cattle ranches, citrus,
vegetables, sugarcane, and ornamental growers, collectively generate $1 billion in sales annually,
and are the core of an agribusiness and natural resource economy in southwest Florida that
contributes more than $6 billion of compound economic activity statewide annually; and
WHEREAS, in 2009, SWFREC ranked in the top 25% among the 29 departments within
UF/IFAS in terms of competitive grants and refereed journal publications per faculty, two
important metrics of academic productivity; and
WHEREAS, during the recession, the SWFREC lost funding for faculty, staff, and
research programs, limiting and endangering the ability of the SWFREC to promote and protect
the health and productivity of southwest Florida and statewide agricultural interests and greater
research needs; and
WHEREAS, the SWFREC is a valuable educational portal to both the University of
Florida and the wider national Land Grant university system, providing science and technology
applicable to the management of water, environmental issues, and natural resources critical to the
region, state, and nation.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS OF COLLIER COUNTY, FLORIDA, that it supports the South Florida
Ag Council budget request to the Florida Legislature for $4.9 million to restore funding for the
Southwest Florida Research and Education Center programming to prior levels, including hiring
a center director, restoring lost faculty and staff positions, and providing for the construction of
new facilities to accommodate the increased staff, faculty, and students.
THIS RESOLUTION ADOPTED after motion, second and majority vote on this the
I I th day of February, 2014.
ATTEST: BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
DWIGHT F9 ROCK, Clerk COLLIER COUN FLORIDA
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4 06 B • _
tes i!S t0 • Ruty Clerk TOM' ENNING, CH •MAN
signature A
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Approved ',Aim m and legality:
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Jeffrey • 4 atzkow
County • ey
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