The high-stakes battle between Florida’s booming urban sprawl and its historic agricultural roots reached a major milestone today. State officials officially approved the permanent protection of more than 6,200 acres of working ranch and farmland, effectively blocking developers from building on the massive footprint.
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson announced that the Governor and Cabinet, acting as the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, signed off on the conservation easements. The deal is funded through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. By purchasing the development rights to these properties, the state ensures they remain active agricultural operations that cannot be paved over, while keeping the land under private management so taxpayers do not have to pay for regular maintenance.
“Florida was built by generations of farmers and ranchers who worked the land, cared for it, and passed it on better than they found it. That legacy is worth protecting,” Commissioner Wilton Simpson said. “These properties aren’t just acres on a map. They’re family operations that produce food, support jobs, protect water resources, and provide vital habitat for Florida wildlife. I’m grateful to Governor DeSantis and my fellow members of the Florida Cabinet for continuing to support this mission. With today’s approval, more than 6,200 additional acres or working agricultural land will remain in production and protected from future development, ensuring Florida’s rural heritage remains a part of our future, not just our past.”
With these latest additions, the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program has permanently preserved over 240,000 acres of agricultural land since its inception in 2001. Nearly 175,000 of those acres have been locked down during Simpson’s current administration. The newly protected parcels are all enrolled in state best management practices and sit within critical conservation areas like the Florida Ecological Greenways Network or the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
The newly approved conservation projects span three counties:
In Okeechobee County, Dixie Ranch West accounts for the largest chunk of the deal. The 2,996-acre cow and calf operation was preserved for a total of $14,225,000. The funding includes a $2,320,000 contribution from the United States Air Force Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration program, which looks to protect lands surrounding the Avon Park Air Force Range Sentinel Landscape Program. The ranch naturally drains south into the Kissimmee River watershed and Lake Okeechobee, and sits entirely inside the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
Manatee County is home to the second piece of the package, the 1,042-acre Thundercloud Ranch. The cow and calf operation and hay farm was secured for $11,680,000, with Manatee County putting forward $1,500,000 of the total. Located within the Florida Ecological Greenways Network, this land forms part of the headwaters for Gilley Creek, a major tributary feeding the Manatee River. It links the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Little Manatee River Southfork Tract with the Edward W. Chance Reserve.
Highlands County features the 1,183-acre Syfrett Farm & Ranch, which was preserved through an easement totaling $5,325,000. Alongside its sustainable cattle herd, the property utilizes its uplands for sod production. The ranch features specific water retention improvements designed to slow down runoff and clean the water flowing into Lake Okeechobee, and it resides fully within the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
The final property is LFW Farms, a 1,014-acre cattle ranch also located in Okeechobee County, which was protected for $6,600,000. Primarily operated for cow and calf production, the property rotates its pastures and periodically harvests Bahia grass. Functional wetlands make up about 10% of the ranch, while the rest consists of improved pastureland inside the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
The funding backing these initiatives has grown heavily in recent years. Since 2022, Commissioner Simpson has worked to secure more than $1.1 billion in state funding for the program, which includes $425 million designated in the 2026/2027 state budget passed by the legislature.
READ: Florida’s Farms Get $425 Million Shield To Stop Asphalt From Gobbling Up Agriculture
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