The Florida Forever Program marks a quarter-century of protecting the state's most valuable landscapes, watersheds, and cultural sites through strategic partnerships with private landowners.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is celebrating a major milestone for its Florida Forever Program, which has officially secured its 200th conservation easement. This achievement coincides with the program's 25th anniversary and has permanently protected 364,117 acres of land across the state.
Since 2000, the Florida Forever Program has been a crucial tool for conserving Florida's native landscapes, watersheds, and wildlife habitats. Conservation easements are a key component of this effort, allowing private landowners to retain ownership of their property while permanently limiting future development.
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These agreements protect natural, scenic, and cultural spaces for future generations, all while supporting current land use. Additionally, easements on working lands require agricultural producers to follow best management practices, which helps safeguard water quality and the environment while keeping farms and ranches productive.
"Conservation easements are one of the most important tools we have to protect Florida's lands and waters," said DEP Secretary Alexis A. Lambert. "From working farms and ranches to wildlife habitats and scenic landscapes, Florida Forever safeguards the resources that make our state special."
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The program's portfolio includes several significant conservation easements, such as:
Fisheating Creek Ecosystem in Glades and Highlands counties, which protects over 66,000 acres, including the only undammed tributary of Lake Okeechobee. This area provides critical habitat for the federally endangered Florida panther. Nokuse Plantation in Walton County, which spans 17,880 acres and is part of the Florida Wildlife Corridor. This easement helps protect water quality in the Choctawhatchee River watershed and is home to imperiled species like the gopher tortoise. Avalon Plantation in Jefferson County, which safeguards high-quality habitats essential for the red-cockaded woodpecker and gopher tortoise. Deer Creek Ranch, a 5,698-acre working cattle ranch in DeSoto County, which protects the Peace River watershed and provides habitat for the Florida scrub-jay and Florida burrowing owl. Letchworth Mounds, an easement adjacent to the Letchworth-Love Mounds Archaeological State Park, which protects one of Florida's most significant prehistoric earthwork complexes.
With its 200th easement now secured, the Florida Forever Program continues to preserve the state's most valuable natural and cultural resources through vital partnerships with private landowners, ensuring the long-term protection of Florida's unique landscapes, waterways, and working lands for years to come.
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