FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – Flagler County is officially making history this Thursday. After more than a year of behind-the-scenes negotiations and planning, the county will close on a 3,800-acre land deal—the largest single purchase ever made through its Environmentally Sensitive Lands program.
The $6.05 million acquisition secures almost the entire Big Cypress Swamp in central Flagler. This isn’t just a win for local nature lovers; the area serves as the headwaters for White Branch, a critical tributary that feeds into Crescent Lake and eventually the St. Johns River. By protecting this specific patch of land and water, the county is effectively safeguarding a major regional water system.
Located within the Ocala-to-Matanzas Conservation Corridor, the new Big Cypress Swamp Nature Preserve connects thousands of acres of existing natural lands. This creates a massive, uninterrupted highway for wildlife.
According to Erick Revuelta, the county’s Environmentally Sensitive Lands and Natural Resources Manager, the area is a mosaic of Florida’s natural beauty, featuring everything from wet flatwoods and freshwater marshes to hydric hammocks.
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“The preserve contains upland and wetland habitats… which provides foraging and nesting habitat for a variety of wildlife species including rare and imperiled species such as the wood stork, the eastern black rail, and the eastern indigo snake,” Revuelta said. He also noted that the site currently supports a large population of Florida black bears.
The deal was made possible through a partnership between the county and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Funding came from the state as part of the “Florida Wildlife Corridor Initiative,” a project championed by former House Speaker Paul Renner.
While the land is now protected, the work is just beginning for the county’s Land Management Department. Revuelta explained that future management will likely involve bringing back prescribed fires to maintain the ecosystem and launching efforts to control invasive species.
Additionally, the county plans to see if parts of the swamp can be used for wetland mitigation—a process that helps offset the environmental footprint of future public projects like new roads or fire stations.
This closing marks the end of a long administrative journey that began back in February 2025. Over the last 14 months, the project moved through committee reviews, appraisals, and Board of County Commissioner approvals before reaching this final signature on April 9, 2026.
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