FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Liz Donley or Susan Brookman, Babcock Preservation Partnership,
              (239) 995-1777, ext. 234

              Susan Bennett, Southwest Florida Community Foundation
              (239) 277-5255

PARTNERSHIP ESTABLISHED TO BEGIN BABCOCK RANCH FUNDRAISING

FORT MYERS, Fla. (July 8, 2004) - The Babcock Ranch Acquisition Coalition announced today that it has established a not-for-profit organization to begin raising funds for the purchase of Babcock Ranch, helping ensure the acquisition, preservation, conservation and management of one of Southwest Florida's most outstanding areas of natural resources and wildlife habitat.

The organization - called the Babcock Preservation Partnership Inc. - will work closely with the South Florida Water Management District, Southwest Florida Community Foundation, and other community partners in the effort.

The groups are in the middle of a six-month push to purchase the 91,600-acre ranch that straddles Lee and Charlotte counties and preserve it for future generations.

The initial officers of the Preservation Partnership are Lee County Commissioner Bob Janes, President; Charlotte County Commissioner Adam Cummings, Vice President; and David Burr, Executive Director of the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council, Secretary/Treasurer. In the coming weeks, a full Board of Directors and Officers will be nominated and committees on fundraising and communications will be formed.

Here's how the fundraising effort will work:

• The Babcock Preservation Partnership will organize and conduct a fund raising campaign to supplement the money that can be provided by local, State and Federal agencies for the acquisition.

• The Southwest Florida Community Foundation will essentially act as the bank. It will accept tax-deductible donations, both small and large, from private donors. That money eventually will be spent at the direction of the Babcock Preservation Partnership.

• The South Florida Water Management District will continue as the lead negotiator for the purchase from the Babcock family. It is continuing with its effort to complete appraisals of the property.

The Babcock Preservation Partnership is established as a corporation in Florida. It will soon apply to the Internal Revenue Service for tax-exempt status as a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. However, all private donations for the acquisition effort will go to the Southwest Florida Community Foundation and will be tax deductible.

The Southwest Florida Community Foundation is a public foundation governed by a 28-member Board of Trustees with assets of more than $33 million that awards grants and scholarships to non-profit organizations and students in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Glades and Hendry counties.

Donation checks should be made out to the "Southwest Florida Community Foundation" with a note on the memo line stating "Babcock Preservation Partnership Fund." They can be mailed to the SWFCF offices at: 8260 College Parkway, Suite 101, Fort Myers, FL 33919.

The Community Foundation also accepts credit cards - Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover - for anyone who would like to make a gift by credit.

If people have questions about the donating process, they can call the Southwest Florida Community Foundation at (239) 274-5900, or the Babcock Preservation Partnership (c/o Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council/Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program) at (239) 995-1777, ext. 234.

For information about the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, visit www.floridacommunity.com or call (239) 274-5900. For more information about Babcock Ranch acquisition effort, visit www.swfrpc.org/Babcock.htm.