Economic Impacts of Restoration and Recreation Projects at Robinson Preserve in Florida

Robinson Preserve is a 705-acre restoration project site in Bradenton, Florida. Following nearly a century of agricultural and industrial use, this location was acquired by Manatee County to reestablish it as a tidal marsh and fish nursery habitat. Later land acquisitions would support recreationally important fish species and add recreational opportunities such as kayaking and pedestrian/biking trail use. Using a survey to establish use patterns and recreation expenditure patterns from Rosenberger et al. (2017), the researchers modeled the economic impacts of Phase II restoration efforts at Robinson Preserve in IMPLAN across five models (two restoration models and three recreation models). Restoration construction efforts (such as excavation, grading, and planting) supported an estimated 220 jobs and $11.3 million in labor income in Manatee County across roughly a decade, while monitoring efforts supported 19 jobs and $1.3 million in labor income in Manatee County. Recreation use by out of state visitors and Florida residents living outside of the Manatee County study area support 25 jobs and nearly a million dollars in labor income each year. In sum, restoration efforts supported roughly 16 jobs per million invested during the construction and monitoring phases, which includes ongoing jobs as a result of recreation use at RP. This study quantifies the economic benefits of restoration efforts. Moreover, the results support future restoration efforts involving land purchases and the addition of recreational opportunities.