Land and conservation easements worth $318 million and designed to protect more than 85,000 acres of Florida’s most important wildlife habitats and rural ranchlands were approved for purchase by the state Cabinet Tuesday.
Many of the proposed easements are part of the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
The purchased conservation lands cover 134 square miles, or 2.5 times the size of the City of Miami, and constitute the largest increment of conservation land and easement purchases ever proposed on a single Cabinet agenda. House and Senate leaders in the Florida Legislature included strategic appropriations for conservation land acquisitions and easements in Florida's budget—an important investment in Florida's economy, ecology, and quality of life.
Purchases were made under the Florida Forever program including five land ownerships and two proposed conservation easements totaling 23,113 acres. Tracts protected range in size from 113 acres to more than 12,000 acres. Counties where conservation land and easements will be purchased under the Florida Forever Program are: Bay, Duval, Polk, Volusia, Walton and Santa Rosa counties.
Thirteen properties were enrolled in FDACS Best Management Practices and are located within the Florida Wildlife Corridor, which was established in state law in 2021 through the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act as a priority of then-Senate President Wilton Simpson.
The 13 tracts range from 417 acres to 11,731 acres. Total acreage protected under easements: 62,665 acres. These lands are located in: DeSoto, Dixie, Glades, Highlands, Levy, Madison, Martin, Okeechobee, Osceola, and Polk counties.
Environmental proponents were complimentary about the purchase: “Audubon is grateful to the Legislature for funding these acquisitions, and to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for striking such savvy deals for taxpayers,” Audubon Florida Executive Director Julie Wraithmell, said. “These projects don't just preserve habitat for wildlife and keep working lands in production, they also help ensure Floridians have clean drinking water, healthy watersheds and coasts, and support property values and our vibrant economy. Land conservation enjoys tremendous bipartisan support from Floridians and we are thankful to the Governor and Cabinet for their support of this impressive group of projects today.”
The Governor and Cabinet, sitting as the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, approved the preservation through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Rural and Family Lands Protection Program.
The approval of rural lands protection easements totaling over $206,000,000 is the largest ever approved at a meeting of the Governor and Cabinet in the program's history. Rural lands protection easements prevent future development of the land and allow agriculture operations to continue to contribute to Florida’s economy and the production of food, timber, and other resources vital to the prosperity of Florida.
Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson said, “Today marks another historic milestone in Florida’s effort to preserve working agricultural lands. Thanks to the Governor and my fellow Cabinet members, as well as the landowners who are partnering with us, we are permanently preserving from development over 62,000 acres of working farms and ranches. These lands not only fuel our economy but also form the backbone of our state and nation’s food security. Together, we are ensuring that Florida remains a place where agriculture thrives, and our natural resources are conserved for generations to come.”
Since its inception, the program has permanently preserved more than 196,000 acres, with over 130,000 acres preserved during Commissioner Simpson’s administration.
The Governor and Cabinet approved rural lands protection easements for the following 13 projects:
Hendrie Ranch - J & J Hendrie Project
Approximately 5,610.26 acres
$12,900,000
The Hendrie Ranch, located in Highlands County, is a cattle, hay, and timber operation. Hendrie Ranch has been managed by the family for over 65 years for beef and timber and its importance to the greater Fisheating Creek conservation landscape. Hendrie Ranch supports extensive Florida Scrub habitat lying within a matrix of improved pastures and seasonal wetlands used for cattle grazing. A large number of listed plant and animal species occur on the property, which is often used by Archbold Biological Station for scientific research.
Trailhead Blue Springs, LLC
Approximately 11,713.37 acres
$22,255,400
Trailhead Blue Springs is a pine plantation and low-density cattle operation in Levy County that envelops portions of the Waccasassa River and nearly all of Devil’s Hammock Wildlife Management Area. In addition to being a working forest and cow-calf operation, Trailhead Blue Springs is surrounded by conservation areas, providing an important link between these areas. The tract lies on both sides of the Waccasassa River and includes a portion of the floodplain swamp and wetland habitats along it. There is a diverse set of native land cover types across the property, chief among which are forested wetlands.
Anderson Land & Timber - Otter Creek
Approximately 6,414.28 acres
$6,740,000
Anderson Land and Timber, located in Dixie County, is an active timber operation consisting of planted pine with large expanses of natural forested and non-forested wetlands. The property is situated between the Gulf of Mexico to the west and the Suwannee River to the east. The surrounding land consists of planted timber among a wetland complex of marshland and floodplain swamp. The property is completely surrounded by other conservation lands. The property supports a variety of animals, including deer, turkey, wading birds, and eagles, among others.
Eight Mile Properties, LLC
Approximately 5,736.76 acres
$5,307,000
Eight Mile, located in Dixie County, has a long history of silvicultural land management, where approximately half of the property is managed in industrial forestry following FDACS Best Management Practices. The tract is directly adjacent to and surrounded by other conservation areas, including Mallory Swamp, the Upper Steinhatchee Conservation Area, and the Lower Steinhatchee Conservation Area. Eight Mile is a puzzle piece in a matrix of conservation lands in the region and will protect regional water quality by maintaining the integrity of surrounding waterways and their springsheds.
Williamson Cattle Company (East)
Approximately 2,996.22 acres
$12,600,000
Williamson Cattle Company, located in Okeechobee County, is an active cattle, citrus, and sod operation. The property consists of pasture with inclusions of forested wetlands and small patches of scrub. This project is home to Florida panthers, is located five miles north of Lake Okeechobee, and is in the Northern Okeechobee inflow subbasin and the Taylor Creek and Nubbin Slough watersheds. The Williamson family has had a farming operation and homestead on this land for more than 75 years.
Bull Hammock Ranch
Approximately 5,874.51 acres
$51,105,000
Bull Hammock Ranch, located in Martin County, is an active cattle ranch with significant development pressures mounting from the north, south, and east of the property. The property primarily consists of pasture with many small, scattered wetlands, and an upland forested area (mesic hammock). There are also approximately 300 acres of rotational crops in the northeastern corner of the property. The property includes approximately 4,100 acres of improved pasture and 1,400 acres of unimproved or woodland pasture supporting a cow-calf operation.
French Golden Gate
Approximately 2,718.40 acres
$10,600,000
French Golden Gate, located in DeSoto County, is an active cattle operation that also rotates watermelon, cucumbers, and hay, and includes fire-maintained slash pine flatwoods that support abundant native plant species. The property is located in the upper Peace River watershed, about five miles from the Peace River, where surface water from the southern portions of the property flows to Joshua Creek. The northern and western portions of the property drain toward Sandy Gully and Fish Branch Creeks. A total of 1,238 acres are in wetlands that provide water storage, water quality, and habitat benefits.
Montsdeoca Ranch
Approximately 4,691.93 acres
$15,000,000
Montsdeoca Ranch, located in Highlands County, is a cattle ranch along the Kissimmee River comprised mostly of pasture with isolated wetlands and small pine flatwoods. It is adjacent to water management district land on the northeast and provides an additional upland buffer to the river and adjacent wetlands. It is also located within the Avon Park Air Force Range Sentinel Landscape and the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area. Montsdeoca Ranch has been owned by members of the same family for over 108 years.
One Nine Cattle
Approximately 2,787.57 acres
$10,310,000
One Nine Cattle, located in Okeechobee County, is an active cattle operation within the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area and the Avon Park Air Force Range Sentinel Landscape. One Nine Cattle is a seventh-generation family-run cattle operation. One Nine also leases out land to farmers for green beans and watermelon. The composition of One Nine Cattle Ranch is primarily improved pasture with sparse tree cover and various bottomlands. The protection of this property is a natural extension of the protected lands occurring in the Northern Okeechobee Watershed and would benefit a variety of wide-ranging species.
Peeples Family Ranch
Approximately 6,123 acres
$21,430,000
Peeples Family Ranch, located in Glades County, is an active cattle ranch consisting of large expanses of pasture with small inclusions of natural non-forested uplands, non-forested wetlands, and forested uplands. Surrounding lands are undeveloped pasture, planted timber, and croplands with large forested and non-forested wetlands present to the west. Crested caracara was documented on site in 1989, and suitable habitat still exists. This property overlaps a strategic corridor within the Florida Ecological Greenways Network and is within the Florida Wildlife Corridor. The property contains suitable habitat for the Florida panther, and Florida scrub-jay which have been documented in the vicinity.
Overstreet Ranch
Approximately 4,204.59 acres
$23,850,000
Overstreet Ranch, located in Osceola County, is an active cattle ranch on the eastern shore of Lake Kissimmee, adjacent to Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area, within the Avon Park Air Force Range Sentinel Landscape, and in the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area. Six generations of the Overstreet Family have ranched on this property. The Overstreet Family primarily runs the property as a cow-calf operation but also farms citrus and sod.
Raley Grove - Florida Highlands
Approximately 417.79 acres
$8,500,000
Raley Grove, located in Polk County, is an active citrus operation with a small section of improved pasture. This property is approximately two-thirds in citrus grove and one-third in pasture with several large wetlands/ponds. The surrounding area is primarily citrus groves and pasture but also includes lakes Annie, Ada, and Josephine. Some residential development is near the northeast boundary and many areas to the north and south are projected to be developed in the coming years.
Keith Whaley Ranch
Approximately 3,382 acres
$6,257,900
Keith Whaley Ranch, located in Madison County, is an active cattle ranch and timber operation near the Aucilla River and consists of a timber plantation with extensive wetlands. It is mostly contained within the Aucilla/Wacissa Watershed Florida Forever project. Surrounding lands are pasture, timber, and wetlands, with areas north of the property along US-90 that are projected to be developed in the coming years.
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