With Florida nearing the most populated state in the United States, farmers have worried about their way of life being infringed upon. Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson (R-FL) has a plan to protect 2,000 acres of ranch land through a new policy.
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, will serve as the means Commissioner Simpson intends to protect this land. The farm and ranch land easement totals $8,195,000. This policy is promised to halt future development of the land and allow agriculture operations to continue.
Simpson has argued that the farming industry in the state is too important to the economy. Products that are said to be protected through this act include food, timber, and other natural resources produced in Florida.
"Today’s approval to partner with Syfrett Ranch to preserve over 2,000 acres of productive ranchlands through the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program is a triple win for the state," said Commissioner Wilton Simpson. "These rural land protection easements strengthen our food security though the protection of prime agricultural land, keep the protected property on the local tax rolls, and require every property owner to maintain the land and its natural resources according to state standards."
This project will be the 70th Rural and Family Lands Protection Program easement, with nearly 100,000 acres preserved through the program. A story map of all completed Rural and Family Lands Protection Program projects can be viewed here: FDACS.gov/RFLPPMap. For more information about Commissioner Simpson and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit FDACS.gov.
