Three rural properties will be shielded from residential and commercial development under conservation-easement deals with the state.
Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson on Friday announced deals through the state’s Rural and Family Lands Protection Program that involve a 550-acre dairy operation in Gilchrist County, a 245-acre timber farm in Baker County, and a 1,600-acre cattle ranch in Highlands County.
Conservation easements allow landowners to continue using property for agricultural purposes while agreeing not to develop the land.
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A 2023 law allows the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to acquire conservation easements under $5 million without having to get approval from Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state Cabinet.
Simpson said in a news release that the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program keeps “property on the local tax rolls and requires every property owner to maintain the land and its natural resources according to best management practices.”
The deal involving the Watson Farm in Gilchrist County totaled $1.54 million. Kirkland Farm in Baker County totaled $1.008 million.
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The Hart Pasture in Highlands County totaled $4.8 million. In December, the department published a list of nearly 260 farms, ranches and forests whose owners are seeking to be considered for easement purchases.
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