Florida agriculture committee hears surge in easement applications, warns momentum depends on steady funding

The Senate Committee on Agriculture on the first week of session heard updates from state and nonprofit officials about land‑conservation work that protects agricultural production, wildlife corridors and water resources.

John Paul Frates, director of the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, told the committee the program "is an agricultural land preservation program" designed to keep productive farms and ranches from being converted to development by acquiring development rights through permanent conservation easements.

The program, Frates said, prioritizes land that meets public‑purpose criteria related to habitat, water resources, threat of conversion, and perpetuation of open space; landowners must be active agricultural producers with an agricultural tax classification and enroll in agricultural best management practices (BMPs). "When a producer enrolls in the BMP program and has this active easement on the property, they're also eligible for agricultural BMP cost share," Frates said, referring to cost‑share rates he said generally range from about 65 to 90 percent of eligible implementation costs.

Why it matters: speakers said steady state funding and partnerships with federal programs and local governments have accelerated acquisitions, but if appropriations falter projects can stall and land values can rise—making future protections costlier or infeasible.

Key program numbers and examples

- Frates said the Rural and Family Lands program recorded about 66,000 acres protected from 2001 through 2022 and that the program has increased holdings by about 161,000 acres since 2023. He said the program currently reflects roughly 530,000 acres under protection and estimated an illustrative market value of about $1.75 billion based on an average price per acre of $3,000–$3,500. - For 2025 the program's ranked acquisition list contains 428 projects, up from 233 the prior year. Frates said the department aims to start roughly 50–75 acquisitions annually, depending on acreage and appraisal outcomes; this year they expect to begin about 75 projects. - Frates and the presenters described active partnerships that stretch program dollars, including USDA programs (RCPP and ALE) and the Department of Defense's REPI program for military installation buffering. He said the program currently has 23 confirmed partnerships on the 2025 list and additional partnerships under development. - The committee viewed applicant videos. One applicant, identified in the presentation as VC Hollingsworth III of VC Hollingsworth Ranch Pine Level, described family‑run cattle and citrus operations and called the program essential to protecting water and wildlife habitat. A second applicant representing a dairy identified as "Milking Our Dairy" said the family milks about 1,600 cows and noted concerns about nearby residential development; that speaker said their operation produces enough milk to supply roughly 120,000 people a gallon per week if scaled as described.

Florida Forever and statewide acquisitions

Brian Bradner, deputy secretary for land and recreation at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, described Florida Forever as "the state's premier conservation and recreation land acquisition program." He said the program is authorized by the Florida Forever Act (enacted in 2000) and implemented beginning July 1, 2001, and that DEP presents project proposals to the Acquisition and Restoration Council for ranking before the governor and cabinet approve work plans.

Bradner provided multi‑year totals and recent activity: since January 2019 the state has invested more than $1.4 billion and acquired over 374,000 acres, he said, and that about 91 percent of acquisitions in that period lie within the Florida Wildlife Corridor. Bradner said calendar year 2024 closed 99 transactions totaling 68,764 acres for about $321 million, and that 2025 year‑to‑date closings have already protected 79,387 acres at an expenditure of about $286 million. He noted the current work plan contains 60 Florida Forever projects for fiscal year 2025–26 and that acquisitions exceeding $5 million require governor and cabinet approval.

Bradner highlighted recent closings including acreage that will become Sandy Creek State Forest in Bay County, an expansion of Allen David Broussard Catfish Creek Preserve State Park in Polk County, and a new 2,480‑acre state park in Walton County that also provides a buffer for Eglin Air Force Base. He also noted the program secured its 200th conservation easement, protecting more than 364,000 acres statewide under easement as part of program milestones.

Nonprofit perspective and public access

Tracy Dean, president and CEO of Conservation Florida, told senators land trusts and conservancies are ready to partner with state programs but that "momentum is the key." Dean said both Rural and Family Lands and Florida Forever are complementary options for landowners and urged continued, predictable funding so easement and acquisition projects do not stall.

On public access, Dean said access can be negotiated with landowners on a case‑by‑case basis: some transactions that become parks or state forests include public access while many private easements do not. She told the committee, "When we're negotiating conservation easement, public access is something that we're able to negotiate. However, the majority of the public access are seen on the deals that we're facilitating that become our state parks that become our state forests."

Committee questions and county concerns

Committee members pressed presenters on capacity and local impacts. Senators asked how many ranked projects are likely to receive funding; Frates said any project placed on the ranked list is eligible, and with current appropriations the department expects to begin roughly 50–75 projects in a year. Bradner said the number of projects exceeds available dollars on the Florida Forever work plan and that consistent appropriations are necessary to maintain momentum.

Several senators raised concerns about the fiscal effect on smaller counties when property is taken off the tax rolls. Bradner said DEP notifies counties when the department is considering property in their jurisdiction; members asked for more detail about payments in lieu of taxes (PILT) and other offsets. A representative of small counties noted that PILT funding can be modest compared with lost taxable value and urged further review.

No formal committee votes or motions were recorded on these presentations.

Ending

Committee leaders and presenters repeatedly urged steady, predictable state funding and continued federal, local and nonprofit partnerships to sustain acquisitions and conservation easements that preserve working lands, wildlife connectivity and water resources across Florida.