The state gave the OK on Tuesday to buying a piece of land next to a state forest in Hernando County that was near a lot for a planned expansion by a golf course developer.
The new deal came following public outcry.
The 340-acre property is northwest of Brooksville. It's near part of the Withlachoochee State Forest that Cabot Citrus Farms had proposed developing in return for several hundred acres of timberland in north Florida. Public opposition killed the deal, so the company proposed selling the parcel to the state.
It will become part of the Florida Wildlife Corridor, says Alexis Lambert, secretary of the state Department of Environmental Protection.
"The properties are located in the Annutteliga Hammock Florida Forever Project," she said during a state cabinet meeting. "These acquisitions will preserve Florida's natural lands and provide critical linkages for wildlife habitat."
The property must first be appraised before a price can be decided.
Here's the state's description of the importance of the property:
The Annutteliga Hammock Florida Forever project will conserve the remaining forestland between the Withlacoochee State Forest and Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area. The Brooksville Ridge in west-central Florida supports some of the last large tracts of longleaf pine sandhills in Florida, unique forests of northern hardwood trees, and many archaeological sites.
The project will protect habitat for rare and imperiled species such as the Florida black bear, Eastern indigo snake, gopher tortoise, and many sandhill-dwelling plants including giant orchids. The project will also provide the public with a large area for outdoor recreation in this fast-growing region.
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It was part of a series of transactions agreed to by the state on Tuesday agreed to preserve about 78,000 acres of natural land throughout Florida.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a cabinet meeting that the purchases include the final segment in a planned 100-mile-long wildlife corridor connecting two of the state's largest national forests.
"That fully now implements the Ocala to Osceola Forest wildlife corridor, that protects over 77,000 acres of Florida forest in North Florida," he said. "So this is a really significant thing."
The lands will be protected through the Florida Forever program, which is paid for by taxes on real estate transactions
"We see the Corridor as the backbone of Florida's natural landscape," Lambert said in a prepared statement. "It connects our past and our future, supports iconic wildlife, sustains vital ecosystems and preserves a way of life that defines Florida."
Here's more information about the land acquisition approvals:
A 61,389-acre conservation easement within the Raiford to Osceola Greenway Florida Forever Project in Baker and Union counties will help prevent habitat fragmentation in the Ocala-to-Osceola Wildlife Corridor and support the long-term sustainability of the working forestland vital to the local economy. Protecting this large landscape tract will also safeguard regional water supply and water quality, support natural ecosystem functions, enhance flood protection and recharge the aquifer.
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A 14,743-acre conservation easement within the Camp Blanding to Raiford Greenway Florida Forever Project in Baker and Bradford counties will provide a critical landscape connection to the Camp Blanding Military Reservation, Jennings State Forest and other conservation lands within the Ocala-to-Osceola Wildlife Corridor. Located in the Suwannee River Basin and Santa Fe River springshed, the property plays a vital role in flood attenuation, groundwater recharge and supporting diverse wildlife habitats.
A 1,700 acre conservation easement that will connect to an adjacent Rural and Family Lands Protection Program Easement in Alachua, Bradford, Clay and Putnam counties that will protect a multi-generation pine plantation in rural North Florida. The approval represents 128th perpetual easement proposed for acquisition, with a total of approximately 208,629 acres preserved under the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, ensuring that working lands remain undeveloped while continuing to support Florida's agricultural economy.
A 340-acre acquisition within the Annutteliga Hammock Florida Forever Project in Hernando County will prevent development and enhance connectivity between the Withlacoochee State Forest and the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area. Located along the border of the Springs Coast and Withlacoochee River watersheds, this property helps protect aquifer recharge and maintain water quality and quantity in the region. It will be managed by the Florida Forest Service as an addition to the Withlacoochee State Forest, providing expanded opportunities for outdoor recreation.
Specifically, the property is under direct threat of development, as it lies within a designated residential planned unit development that allows for 1,707 single-family units, as well as other non-residential development. Preservation of the subject property will prevent development of the site as well as contribute to the conservation lands connecting the Withlacoochee State Forest to the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area.
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