The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has announced that the Florida Forever Program has reached its 200th conservation easement, bringing the total protected acreage to 364,117 across the state. This achievement coincides with the program’s 25th anniversary.
Since its inception in 2000, the Florida Forever Program has worked to conserve native landscapes, watersheds, agricultural and working lands, and wildlife habitats throughout Florida. Conservation easements are voluntary legal agreements with private landowners that permanently limit development while allowing continued ownership and sustainable use of the land. These agreements also require agricultural producers to follow best management practices to help protect water quality and maintain productive farms and ranches.
“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.”
Notable conservation easements under Florida Forever include:
– Fisheating Creek Ecosystem in Glades and Highlands counties: Over 66,000 acres acquired between 2000–2025 through four easements. The area protects Fisheating Creek, Lake Okeechobee’s only undammed tributary, providing habitat for endangered species such as the Florida panther.
– Nokuse Plantation in Walton County: 17,880 acres acquired in 2004. The property is part of both the Florida Wildlife Corridor and Northwest Florida Sentinel Landscape. It helps protect water quality in the Choctawhatchee River watershed and supports imperiled species like Cooley’s meadowrue.
– Avalon Plantation in Jefferson County: 11,937 acres acquired in 2023. Located within several key conservation regions, this property provides upland habitat for species including the red-cockaded woodpecker.
– Deer Creek Ranch in DeSoto County: 5,698 acres acquired in 2024. This cattle ranch protects part of the Peace River watershed and offers habitat for species such as the Florida scrub-jay.
– Letchworth Mounds in Jefferson County: 1,270 acres acquired in 2005 adjacent to an archaeological state park containing significant prehistoric earthwork mounds.
Through these partnerships with private landowners, DEP continues efforts to preserve natural and cultural resources statewide.
More information about conservation easements can be found at https://floridaforever.org/.
