Conservation Florida’s D Ranch preserve center found eligible amid questions about feasibility study

Volusia County’s ECHO advisory committee voted to find Conservation Florida’s D Ranch Preserve and Nature Center eligible to be scored, while committee members expressed concern about the thoroughness of the applicant’s feasibility study.

Staff said Conservation Florida requests $2,500,000 in ECHO funds with a total match bringing the project cost to approximately $5,034,027.79 to build a two-story environmental education facility with ADA-compliant features on a 476-acre preserve near the Lake Monroe watershed.

During discussion a committee member said they found the application’s feasibility study "extremely shallow considering the amount of money they were asking for" and asked what the county expects in terms of professional-level feasibility studies. Staff reiterated required application materials — feasibility study, marketing plan and business plan — and said category-specific supplemental questions were added this year to raise application quality. The committee approved eligibility, and members indicated they will press for stronger documentation during scoring.