Walton County commissioners approved an ordinance to establish the Walton Forever land‑conservation program, a framework intended to preserve agricultural land through conservation easements.

The ordinance creates a program structure that would allow the county to record perpetual conservation easements on eligible agricultural properties and to select a qualified nonprofit to administer acquisitions through a public procurement (RFP/RFQ). County staff and the county attorney emphasized that the adoption establishes policy only; it does not appropriate funds, impose taxes or require immediate purchases. Any funding decisions will be made separately by the board through the annual budget process and a subsequent resolution, staff said.

Speakers at a town‑hall and during the public hearing described conservation easements as voluntary and often paired with federal and state cost‑share programs. Nathan Pilardi, an extension economist with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, told the board that agricultural lands typically require less in public services relative to the revenue they generate, making easements a tool to preserve local tax base and avoid costlier residential conversions. A USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service representative and a representative from a Montana county land trust also described how local programs can increase competitiveness for state and federal grants.

Board members asked for clarity on how donated or dedicated funds would be managed; staff confirmed program monies would be placed in a separate, segregated fund and could only be used for Walton Forever. The ordinance also includes governance details, easement‑selection criteria to be set later by resolution, and a supermajority requirement to amend or repeal the ordinance.

The ordinance passed after public comment and board discussion. Commissioners and supporters said the program provides a voluntary option for landowners and a means to leverage state and federal grant funding while retaining local oversight of property selection.

The board will consider specific funding allocations and procurement language in later resolutions and during the budget process.