Governor Ron DeSantis Protects 35,000 Acres of Working Agricultural Lands and Wildlife Corridors

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet approved $105 million on Monday to purchase permanent rural conservation easements protecting more than 35,000 acres of working cattle ranches, citrus groves, and timberlands through the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP).

The transactions, approved jointly with Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson, permanently extinguish commercial subdivision and high-density residential development rights across multi-generational family ranches in Highlands, Osceola, Okeechobee, and Hendry counties within the contiguous Florida Wildlife Corridor.

Preserving Working Agricultural Economies and Critical Watersheds Unlike outright state park acquisitions, conservation easements keep working agricultural lands in private ownership on local property tax rolls while ensuring the land is managed in perpetuity for cattle grazing, wildlife habitat, and groundwater recharge for the Greater Everglades ecosystem.

"Florida's agricultural heritage is vital to our food security and our state's natural environment," Governor DeSantis said in Tallahassee. "By partnering with multi-generational ranching families through conservation easements, we are preventing suburban sprawl from cutting off critical wildlife corridors while keeping Florida agriculture productive and thriving for generations to come."

Strategic Headwaters and Corridor Properties Key conservation acquisitions include:

• Adams Ranch (Osceola County): 8,400 acres preserving historic cattle ranching in the Lake Marion headwaters.
• Bright Hour Ranch (DeSoto County): 7,200 acres buffering the Peace River watershed.
• XL Ranch (Highlands County): 6,100 acres providing contiguous habitat for the endangered Florida panther and Florida grasshopper sparrow.
• Big Cypress Headwaters (Hendry County): 13,300 acres protecting northern sheetflow drainage into the Big Cypress National Preserve.

Agricultural associations, water management districts, and environmental conservation organizations commended the Cabinet action, noting that preserving permeable ranchlands provides essential flood attenuation during major hurricane seasons.