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Committee recommends Barbee Ranch conservation easement; Florida Forever seeking state match
Summary
Martin County staff presented a proposed conservation easement on the Barbee (Barbie) Ranch, telling the Environmental Lands Oversight Committee the project could count toward the state's contribution to a CERP (Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan) component; the committee voted to forward the item to the Board of County Commissioners.
The Environmental Lands Oversight Committee unanimously recommended that the Board of County Commissioners consider county participation in a conservation‑easement transaction for the Barbee Ranch property after staff outlined the property's role in the Indian River Lagoon South (IRL South) portion of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.
Michael Houston, senior project manager, told the committee the Barbee Ranch proposal is being presented as a conservation easement rather than fee simple purchase. "This is a conservation easement instead of a fee simple acquisition," Houston said, noting that Florida Forever has led negotiations and that a right of first refusal in the easement could allow future fee‑simple acquisition by government partners.
Why it matters: Staff said the property lies within the IRL South project area and can provide shallow storage and natural lands needed by the federal-state…
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