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Alachua County moves to acquire 521‑acre Orange Lake tract for conservation
Summary
The commission unanimously approved purchase steps for a 521‑acre parcel on Orange Lake that links to adjacent conservation lands; staff cited habitat value, lake frontage and recreational potential and estimated total acquisition costs at about $6.04 million.
Alachua County voted Jan. 27 to move forward with an option-to-purchase for a 521‑acre parcel on Orange Lake, a property staff said would expand conservation connectivity to the Lochloosa Wildlife Conservation Area and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings State Park.
Andy Christman, the county's land conservation program manager, told commissioners the parcel contains diverse upland and wetland habitats including flatwoods, basin marsh and Depression Swamp and roughly two miles of Orange Lake shoreline. Staff said the property ranks highly in the county's Alachua County Forever conservation priorities and falls within the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
The negotiated purchase price is $5,395,000; with due diligence, estimated transactional expenses and a contingency the total request presented to the board was $6,042,425. Staff described possible low-impact public uses such as trails and a lake observation platform and noted the parcel could generate BMAP (Basin Management Action Plan) nutrient‑reduction credits if agricultural uses are removed from the shoreline.
The board approved the staff recommendations, including authorizing the option contract and the requested funding, unanimously. Christman said the anticipated closing date is June 2026; county staff will continue standard environmental due diligence and title work.
Commissioners praised the purchase as a decades-long objective to protect the Orange Lake corridor and to provide long-term habitat and low‑impact public access.
