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Rural & Family Lands Protection Program
Recognizing working agricultural lands that are essential to Florida's economic future
The Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP) is an agricultural land preservation program administered by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services that is designed to protect critical agricultural lands through the acquisition of permanent agricultural land conservation easements.
Created in 2001 with the passage of the Rural and Family Lands Protection Act, the program has successfully acquired conservation easements for over 110,000 acres of working agricultural land to date. The RFLPP 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 RFLPP coordinates with farmers and ranchers to ensure sustainable production practices while protecting natural resources.
“When you think about Rural and Family Lands, if you can buy development rights, you’re going to make sure that 50 years from now, 100 years from now, we can still farm in the state of Florida.” – Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, Wilton Simpson
Proposed Properties
These properties are among 244 projects under consideration for purchase of a perpetual rural land protection easement. These projects have been ranked in priority order for funding as part of the 2023-24 funding cycle.
ArcGIS Web Application
Projects for Consideration
The properties featured below under consideration for acquisition by the Board of Trustees. These properties are currently in the conservation easement acquisition process.
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1
Anderson West Land & Timber Otter Creek
Anderson Land & Timber is a 12,022-acre timber operation that consists of planted pine with large expanses of natural forested and non-forested wetlands. Phase 1 acquisition will protect 6,414 acres of the total project site. The property is situated between the Gulf of Mexico to the west and the Suwanee River to the east. The property is completely surrounded by other conservation lands. The project is located within the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
2
Bull Hammock Ranch
Bull Hammock is a 7,310-acre cattle ranch consisting of pasture with many small, scattered wetlands, and an upland forested area (mesic hammock) in Martin County. 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 about a cow-calf operation with 2,500 replacement heifers. Allapattah Flats water management district land is adjacent to the south. The project site is enrolled in the FDACS Best Management Practices (BMP) program, and it is located within the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
3
Eight Mile Properties
Eight Mile is a 5,736.76-acre tract in Dixie County stewarded by a pioneering Florida agricultural family. Eight Mile has a long history of silvicultural land management, where approximately half of the property is managed in industrial forestry following state 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. Eight mile Creek is an important tributary of the Suwannee River and holds substantial water resource value for the Big Bend region. The project site is enrolled in the FDACS Best Management Practices (BMP) program. It is entirely located within the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
4
French Golden Gate
French Golden Gate project contains 6,893 acres of mainly open pastures and fields used for cow/calf ranching and row crop farming interspersed with numerous wetlands and flatwoods in northern DeSoto County. This 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 surrounding area is cropland and pasture with Joshua Creek adjacent to the eastern boundary. The farming operation rotates crops of watermelon, cucumbers, and hay, and includes fire-maintained slash pine flatwoods that support abundant native plant species. A total of 1,238 acres are in wetlands that provide water storage, water quality, and habitat benefits. The project site is enrolled in the FDACS Best Management Practices (BMP) program, and it is located almost entirely within the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
5
Hendrie Ranch
Cattle ranching, hay production, and timber harvesting are the predominant agricultural activities on Hendrie Ranch. The property lies on both sides of US Highway 27 in Highlands County and is a nearly contiguous piece of property located at the southern boundary of the Lake Wales Ridge. Hendrie Ranch has been managed by the family for over 65 years for the production of 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. The property is contiguous to five large conservation tracts and is enrolled in the FDACS Best Management Practices (BMP) program. It is located within the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
6
Keith Whaley Ranch
Keith Whaley Ranch is a 3,382-acre timber and cattle ranch near the Aucilla River consists of timber plantation with extensive wetlands. Timber production has been the primary use on the property with approximately 1,230 acres planted in pine plantation and another 480 acres are in other upland forest types. The project site is enrolled in the FDACS Best Management Practices (BMP) program. The property partially overlaps the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
7
Kissimmee Prairie
Overstreet Ranching and Kissimmee Prairie is a 4,980-acre large-scale cattle ranch on the eastern shore of Lake Kissimmee and adjacent to Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area. This property is mostly pasture interspersed with small depression marshes. It includes patches of dry prairie and corridors of mesic hammocks in low-lying areas, with a citrus grove in the southwest and crops in the northeast corner. It is located within the Avon Park Air Force Range Sentinel Landscape, and in the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area. The Overstreet family began ranching in Florida in the 1800’s. Six generations of the Overstreet Family have ranched on this property. The project site is enrolled in the FDACS Best Management Practices (BMP) program and is located within the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
8
Montsdeoca Ranch
Montsdeoca Ranch 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 would provide 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. The property includes approximately 3,900 acres of improved pasture and 800 acres of native grasslands or range. Montsdeoca Ranch has been owned by members of the same family for over 108 years. The project site is enrolled in the FDACS Best Management Practices (BMPs) program, and the project is located within the Florida Wildlife Corridor
9
One Nine Cattle
One Nine Cattle Company is a 2,787.57-acre cattle operation located within the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area and the Avon Park Air Force Range Sentinel Landscape in Okeechobee County. One Nine Cattle is a family-run cattle operation. Seven generations of the Bass Family have ranched this land. The composition of One Nine Cattle Ranch is primarily improved pasture with 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. The project site is enrolled in the FDACS Best Management Practices (BMP) program. The property is located within the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
10
Overstreet Ranch
Overstreet Ranching and Kissimmee Prairie is a 4,980-acre large-scale cattle ranch on the eastern shore of Lake Kissimmee and adjacent to Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area. This property is mostly pasture interspersed with small depression marshes. It includes patches of dry prairie and corridors of mesic hammocks in low-lying areas, with a citrus grove in the southwest and crops in the northeast corner. It is located within the Avon Park Air Force Range Sentinel Landscape, and in the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area. The Overstreet family began ranching in Florida in the 1800’s. Six generations of the Overstreet Family have ranched on this property. The project site is enrolled in the FDACS Best Management Practices (BMP) program and is located within the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
11
Peeples Family Ranch
Peeples Family Ranch is a 6,123-acre cattle ranch consisting of large expanses of pasture with small inclusions of natural non-forested uplands, non-forested wetlands, and forested uplands. 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 Florida panther, and Florida scrub-jay which have been documented in the vicinity. The project site is enrolled in the FDACS Best Management Practices (BMP) program. It is located within the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
12
Raley Grove - Florida Highlands
Raley Grove project is a 418-acre citrus operation with a small section of improved pasture. The property has long been owned by the Raley family and used in citrus production. The project site is enrolled in the FDACS Best Management Practices (BMP) program and is located within the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
13
Trailhead Blue Springs
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. The tract lies on both sides of the Waccasassa River and includes a portion of the floodplain swamp and wetland habitats along it. Most of the uplands have been converted to improved pasture with myriad forested inclusions, particularly dome swamps. The project site is enrolled in the FDACS Best Management Practices (BMP) program. It is located within the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
14
Williamson Cattle Co. East
Williamson Cattle Company is a 2,996-acre cattle operation on the eastern portion of an 11,000-acre ranch. 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. They are currently operating a sod and citrus farm with approximately 3,000 head of Brangus cattle in cow/calf commercial breeding. Old Florida East Coast Railroad (constructed in the 1920s) runs through the property and remnants of the historic railroad service town of Opal are located onsite. The project site is enrolled in the FDACS Best Management Practices (BMP) program and it is within the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
Current Participants
Current properties participating in the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program are featured below.
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Adams Ranch
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Adams-Gopher Hill
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Adams-Alapaha Farm
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Albritton’s Hart Pasture
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Bar Rocking C Ranch
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Buck Island Ranch
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Camp Lonesome
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Canaan Ranch
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Candy Bar Ranch
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Cannon Farm
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Charlie Creek Cattle Company
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Circle Pine Farm
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Clark Cattle & Citrus
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Clay Ranch
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Clemons Oak Creek
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Corona Ranch
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Cow Creek Ranch
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Evans Ranch
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Fussell Farms Old Town Creek
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Grubb Ranch
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G-3 Ranch
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Goolsby Ranch/Triple G Ranch
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Hall's Tiger Bay Ranch
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Heart Bar Ranch
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Hendrie Ranch
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Hiers Farm
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Holifield Family Farms
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Howard Cattle Corporation
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Howze Ranch
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Jahreis Ranch
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JB Ranch
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Joseph Miller Ranch
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Keen Family Ranch
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Kilbee Ranch
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Kirkland Farm
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Kuder Ranch
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K-Rocker
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Lake Hatchineha Ranch
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The Land Family
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Limestone Creek Ranch
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Los Niños Farm
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Lowder's Gulf Hammock
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Micco Bluff Ranch
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Natural Bridge Creek
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Ox Creek Ranch
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Pelaez & Sons
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Pelaez & Sons, Inc.
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Perry Smith F&SJ
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Phillips Mathis
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Rainey Pasture
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The River Property
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Rodman Plantation
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Ryals Cattle Company
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S.Y. Hartt
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Sampala Lake - Adams
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Sampala Lake - Koblegard
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Sandy Gully
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Smith Family Farm
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South Prong
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Syfrett Ranch
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Tiger Lake Ranch
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Todd Clemons
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Triple S Ranch
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Triple S Ranch - Citrus County
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Walpole Ranch
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Watson Farm
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XL Ranch
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Learn more about the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program