[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6088938,"mediaKeyId","2878607-df8bb70c242bd8b2c7766bc0f95a9db7","parentId",2878607,"title","Staff reports progress on multiple acquisitions and plans to expand Volusia Conservation Corridor","audioSeconds",1817,"startMs",3869000,"endMs",5686000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2878607-df8bb70c242bd8b2c7766bc0f95a9db7&start=3869&end=5686","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2878607-df8bb70c242bd8b2c7766bc0f95a9db7/thumbnail_3869000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6088938/Volusia-County/Florida/Staff-reports-progress-on-multiple-acquisitions-and-plans-to-expand-Volusia-Conservation-Corridor","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6088938-ad685fe675e14e4fd020df04ce08d960/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146938&Signature=exGNIF0o9~K1aygTugZANriTg50F6vCZTVmTx5FIwjYdN2RX7fsG3-Q3OGRizr2chwurb8mk0ia0apfPj6R4QxPTBJWE2B~4piYOxT2dguVWc-EWnKFr1TD7Ug91dnklWFCZFgivlWgXt--IUVPwJ-ibxyjs2UKIzZvwBOg7gapuJSTij4KLCKwlGoE3eYX6nlf7OoLvUlu3Kqrqe57Xgtrwtd8W8X47VFUa9-JljQ-IMOsVuQHlyLmPifdCSx6Iuy70xWbWkTuFxvTpWKHv8F6NUEcq1jDFJ9J7xDWdbCeNCPK8LRfb57hebDMVbC3jRobfGjRO~-pRDyrfHgGRhg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Volusia County, FL","date","2025-04-03T20:21:10Z","article","Staff reported a series of ongoing transactions, partnerships and mapping work at the April 4 Volusia Forever Committee meeting.

Tim Telfer, chief of conservation acquisition, and Hunter Falmer, chief of land management, provided project-level updates. They said negotiations are advancing on agricultural-easement projects (Triple T Ranch and McMillan), that a large southern project (Double Eagle, roughly 990 acres) is nearing legal agreement with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and that a Tomoka Marsh transaction (about 1,300 acres) is progressing in partnership with the Florida Forever program.

Staff described an Edgewater-area conveyance in which the county will transfer a 9.06-acre canal corridor to the city of Edgewater so the city can maintain stormwater outfalls; the county will convey upland parcels differently and the state may take ownership of a portion through Florida Forever. For a related Carter property, staff said the state has closed and Volusia County will serve as land manager for the adjacent Deep Creek Preserve; the county will prepare management agreements and develop a passive-recreation plan funded in part by a previously approved county allocation.

Other updates included near-complete recording for a Cooper acquisition that will be absorbed into Wiregrass Prairie Preserve, ongoing appraisal and negotiation work on the Tallmadge and Tomoka Farms Road projects, and preliminary discussions on a 5,500-acre Lake Kearney opportunity with the Department of Environmental Protection.

Staff also summarized a GIS-driven target analysis for an expansion of the Volusia Conservation Corridor (a Florida Forever project area). The draft map identifies roughly 1,900 private owners to contact and a potential corridor expansion that could add tens of thousands of acres; staff said the map is tentative, that willing-seller responses will revise the boundary, and that the process enables faster consideration (\"triage\") by the state when parcels are already inside a Florida Forever project area.

Committee members asked for additional map layers (wetlands, floodways) in the packet and for staff to keep the committee informed. Staff asked that members consider attending the County Council meeting where proposed updates to the Volusia Forever resolution are scheduled for early May.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Volusia Forever Advisory Committee Meeting - April 4, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Resource Stewardship staff updated the Volusia Forever Committee on active acquisition negotiations (Triple T Ranch, McMillan, Double Eagle, Tomoka Marsh and others), a planned sale of Edgewater canals to the city and a proposed expansion of the Volusia Conservation Corridor that could add tens of thousands of acres for voluntary conservation.","taxTitle","Volusia County, Florida","taxId",2878,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6088943,"Volusia Forever committee approves minutes, ranks and reviews properties; eligibility votes recorded",3220,807000,4027000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2878607-df8bb70c242bd8b2c7766bc0f95a9db7&start=807&end=4027","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2878607-df8bb70c242bd8b2c7766bc0f95a9db7/thumbnail_807000.jpg","/articles/6088943/Volusia-County/Florida/Volusia-Forever-committee-approves-minutes-ranks-and-reviews-properties-eligibility-votes-recorded","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6088943-59ab0aa6d83b091c47d6be4e7adc5e6d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146938&Signature=Yk1cjM1CYi-kMCykP4jijoMDT~0E33DbSmC7ODDyeZFmcIPuMO2oluYSSEO~KpzlM~KkXAg8872rrBbfoOChUOXzOKKi6v-hr6urmFHe9C9euMng9bOEGEBppEHwPMEWOVwYH2bXt11vEKqxXDLVUjoMFjjBqQT6XmOSHvJt0F2WiYWELIMeCMSZGWNP6ny4VfGjPBIW8lRs0o4wtZ25FKU7uec4Y0W9Aoyq6ej8Zr6ImbmFhfzbIq8RsPV-H9QAeUz3NuU0XdWfYzvIsqu5bMbjSD5hLhMtgOy-Ulw6OPP15L~hFGErxC2RjP3F3Jm56MObGYrIp-X3rHajUG6jyw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Volusia Forever Committee approved the minutes of its Feb. 7 meeting, placed the 52-acre Sutherland Project on its A list for future acquisition consideration and conducted eligibility reviews of three other candidate parcels at its April 4 meeting.

The committee unanimously approved the minutes after a motion to accept them as recorded. Tim Telfer, the county's chief of conservation acquisition, then presented the Sutherland Project — described as roughly 52 acres and scored 10 out of 19 by staff — and the committee voted to place it on the program's A list.

In eligibility reviews, staff presented three more parcels: Lake George Road (fee simple application, about 26 acres, staff score 11 of 21), Whichman (fee simple application, about 5 acres, staff score 1 of 21) and the Melania parcel (fee simple application, about 0.3 acres, staff score 3 of 21). The committee voted on eligibility for each property during the same meeting.

During the Melania-item review a Corbin Park resident who identified herself as the owner described buying the lot and later learning it was wetlands and not buildable. She said she paid about $58,000 for the parcel and had paid additional engineering and legal costs trying to clarify buildability; she asked the committee to consider the parcel for acquisition or to help connect her with other county programs. Committee members and staff discussed possible referrals to public-works and water-resources staff and noted the county's small-lot and basin-study programs as potential avenues.

Committee discussion emphasized that the advisory body can only determine program eligibility; staff handles negotiations and the county manager and county council retain final acquisition authority. Where members asked staff to assist or follow up, staff indicated they would attempt to connect the owner with public-works and water-resources staff as appropriate.

The meeting record shows motions and seconds for each vote and spoken aye responses in favor for the items discussed; recorded vote tallies for some items contain ambiguous wording in the transcript and are noted as stated in the minutes below.","At its April 4 meeting the Volusia Forever Committee approved minutes, placed the Sutherland Project on the A list and carried multiple eligibility votes on candidate properties; one applicant spoke during the Melania parcel review.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6088947,"Volusia Forever members receive Florida Sunshine Law and public-records refresher",2101,831000,2932000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2878607-df8bb70c242bd8b2c7766bc0f95a9db7&start=831&end=2932","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2878607-df8bb70c242bd8b2c7766bc0f95a9db7/thumbnail_831000.jpg","/articles/6088947/Volusia-County/Florida/Volusia-Forever-members-receive-Florida-Sunshine-Law-and-public-records-refresher","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6088947-9fd1afb44f210f7e381969b50a042904/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146938&Signature=kwFvzSrDe6tdQ4UwxIYOyIolq602BvD0xesiWVIdIVHjB0B3Gt3vQ8gbao2d6O~yUiPYeiGZyTAp5kIMJamn5bcCVwIF2GH24f~Z7rjojv7HPiV0VmKqVP8wwKWLxOzaA~7NH8jVGEidWgvW879RIdy5Rdiygce6qCbRxh8lR1GZAxuo6IFUhP4sxY0Ake6J5x7MsjV4OGQsiEVv7VyLIkY~3XjhIsKT1Cfe1rz~N3L60~0N-9Djduuwln70bbqTD9kzHQRIR-ALgKUsxAt0m4bbidBeddKAexMcQ2i7lnHEkMUNEdkwGqaCtQ~t9TH0nlCdW17qP1g~G~IH1L-VCg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Good morning. Assistant County Attorney Sabrina Slack told the Volusia Forever Committee on April 4 that Florida's constitutional Sunshine Law requires meetings of collegial bodies to be open to the public and that members must avoid off-the-record deliberations.

Slack summarized three core requirements: meetings must be open to the public, reasonable notice must be provided, and minutes must be kept. She told the committee the county handles notice and minutes but emphasized that members must avoid any discussion of board business outside a properly noticed meeting, including email, text, phone calls and social-media exchanges.

Slack cautioned members that even seemingly casual communications can create a problem: \"If you reply all, then you're replying all to everyone and you're discussing whether or not you're gonna be here, which could be a violation,\" she said. She warned that members should not ask staff to poll other members or summarize other members' positions, because doing so can violate the so-called liaison rule.

The presentation covered how nonverbal and digital exchanges can trigger violations. Slack said text messages or sidebar conversations about agenda matters are a common source of problems. She noted that, in addition to committee-level sanctions, Sunshine Law violations can lead to personal penalties: an unintentional violation can be a noncriminal infraction (up to $500), while knowing violations can be prosecuted as a misdemeanor with possible jail time, fines and costs.

On public-records law, Slack said the state's presumption favors disclosure: \"Public records law is another constitutional right for every person to inspect or copy any public record made or received in connection with official business, unless it's confidential or otherwise exempt.\" She defined public records broadly to include emails, texts and documents on personal devices when they pertain to official business, and she advised members to forward any public-records request to staff immediately.

Slack described common exemptions (Social Security numbers, certain security plans and competitive solicitations) and explained redaction and fee practices. She said the county may charge for extensive staff time or production costs and can require a deposit when a request will impose substantial costs.

Committee members asked technical questions about \"shade\" (closed) meetings and fact-finding sessions; Slack said those are rare, tied to specific statutory exceptions such as litigation strategy or certain negotiations, and that any such meeting is strictly limited and typically transcribed and later made public once the exception expires.

The presentation closed with references to the Attorney General's Government in the Sunshine Manual and an invitation to contact the county attorney's office with questions. Slack offered to provide slides on request.","Assistant County Attorney Sabrina Slack led a detailed review of Florida's Sunshine Law and public-records obligations for Volusia Forever Committee members, covering meeting definitions, electronic communications, public participation, records retention and penalties for violations.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Staff reports progress on multiple acquisitions and plans to expand Volusia Conservation Corridor

Volusia Forever committee approves minutes, ranks and reviews properties; eligibility votes recorded

Volusia Forever members receive Florida Sunshine Law and public-records refresher