The state of Florida will spend $5.6 million to protect 2,060 acres in Putnam County from development.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet approved the expenditure Wednesday as part of $27 million to protect 21,500 acres of conservation and agricultural lands statewide.
The Putnam County action includes a protection easement within the Tilton Family Farm Project. Such easements are intended to shield land from potential development while allowing property owners to continue operations such as agriculture.
The Putnam property has been family-owned since 1973 and includes a cow/calf operation, timber stands and row crops, according to the governor’s office.
The farm produces honey and fresh produce, supporting local food deserts and sustaining community access to fresh, healthy food. The property lies within the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
Putnam is a rural county in North Florida east of Gainesville.
Statewide, the land acquisitions will “strengthen Florida’s conservation network, support military readiness through sentinel landscapes and preserve family-owned agricultural lands, ensuring the state’s natural and rural landscapes remain intact for future generations,” the governor’s office said in a news release.
The other plans approved Wednesday include spending $12.025 million for 7,437 acres in Escambia County in the western Panhandle. In south central Florida, plans include $9.85 million for 1,060 acres in Okeechobee County, and an undetermined amount for 10,996 acres within the Caloosahatchee Big Cypress Corridor in Collier and Hendry counties.
The state delegated the purchase in Collier and Hendry counties to the state Department of Environmental Protection. Department Secretary Alexis Lambert said the agency will not be allowed to pay above the appraised value for the land owned by the Barron Collier Partnership.
“We’re going to share the information that we received related to the appraisals when those are complete,” Lambert said.
