Commissioner Wilton Simpson Announces State Approval to Preserve Over 10,000 Acres of Working Agricultural Land

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson today announced that the Governor and Cabinet, sitting as the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, have approved the preservation of more than 10,000 acres of working Florida farms and ranches through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. 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.

"At today's Cabinet meeting, we took another important step to safeguard Florida's agricultural future," said Commissioner Wilton Simpson. "By protecting more than 10,000 acres of working farms and ranches through FDACS' Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, we are ensuring that this land will remain in private, productive agriculture. This is how we secure our food supply, protect our water resources, and preserve the rural way of life that makes Florida strong."

Since its inception, the department's Rural and Family Lands Protection Program has permanently preserved 219,714 acres of working agricultural land, with 154,126 of those acres being preserved during Commissioner Simpson's administration.

All three properties approved today are enrolled in FDACS Best Management Practices and are located within the linkage priorities for the Florida Ecological Greenways Network or 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 Governor and Cabinet approved rural lands protection easements for the following projects:

Bentley Ranch

Bentley Ranch is a 2,559-acre cattle ranch and citrus operation southwest of Highlands Hammock State Park. The northern half of the site is mostly pasture and cropland. Oak Creek flows through the southern half. The southern half of the site is surrounded by similar agricultural lands, primarily pasture and citrus. It is adjacent to the Heartland Wildlife Corridor Florida Forever project to the east, Circle O Groves RFLPP proposal to the east, and Stevens Land & Cattle RFLPP proposal to the west. Crested caracara and gopher tortoise are documented on the ranch.

Remlap Ranch

Remlap Ranch is a 5,940-acre cattle ranch. The protection of this property is a natural extension of the protected lands occurring in the Northern Okeechobee Watershed and Lower Kissimmee Basin, facilitating landscape connectivity throughout the state. It is primarily composed of improved pasture and supports the habitat of several threatened and endangered species.

The property is located less than 14 miles northwest of Lake Okeechobee, and it is found within the northern Okeechobee inflow sub basin; part of the larger Lake Okeechobee watershed. Several isolated freshwater marshes are found throughout the property. These marshes offer ecological services to the surrounding areas such as flood control and water purification for people and wildlife. The conservation of this property will contribute to enhanced water quality, aquifer recharge, flow attenuation, and flood hazard reduction.

4G Ranch

4G Ranch is a 1,893-acre cow/calf operation just north of Conner Preserve comprised of a mosaic of pasture, non-forested wetlands, cropland, forested wetlands, and altered open lands. There are also 10 acres of coniferous plantations. The property lies adjacent to the Crossbar/Al Bar Ranch Florida Forever project and surrounding lands are undeveloped with a similar makeup of land cover types. Several surrounding lands are protected by conservation easements. This property contains suitable habitat for Florida scrub-jay, a federally endangered species known to occur in the vicinity.

4G Ranch has approximately 1.55 miles of direct road frontage along the north side of State Road 52. It has a future land use designation of a Planned Unit Development (PUD) for approximately 2,000 units over the property and an Ecological Conservation Corridor through a portion of the property that is designated as CON, which is part of the PUD. By placing a rural lands protection easement over this property, it will extinguish those 2,000 units and keep the property in agricultural use. The Pasco County Board of County Commissioners will provide 50% of the acquisition cost, reducing the Board of Trustees' acquisition cost to 50%.

About the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program

Established in 2001 with the passage of the Rural and Family Lands Protection Act, the program recognizes that working agricultural lands are essential to Florida's economic future. Agricultural lands are being increasingly threatened by urban development. To counter this trend, the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program partners with farmers and ranchers to ensure sustainable production practices while protecting natural resources.

During the 2024 Legislative Session, Commissioner Simpson helped to secure a $100 million legislative appropriation for the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program and another $100 million each fiscal year, appropriated in SB 1638, to support the Florida Wildlife Corridor, including the acquisition of rural land protection easements under the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program.

Commissioner Simpson has been involved in Florida's land conservation policy issues long before becoming Florida's Commissioner of Agriculture. As Senate President, Commissioner Simpson championed the successful passage of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act, which directed the state of Florida to better protect and connect Florida's natural areas and wildlife habitats and to preserve working agricultural lands from future development. As Senate President, Commissioner Simpson also secured a $300 million legislative appropriation for the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program.

A story map of all completed Rural and Family Lands Protection Program projects can be viewed here: FDACS.gov/RFLPPMap.

For more information about Commissioner Simpson and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit FDACS.gov.

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