Florida’s governor and Cabinet approved more than $72.6 million in land-conservation actions Tuesday, protecting 10,770 acres across the state through a mix of environmental and agricultural easements. The package includes two large Florida Forever projects and more than 4,500 acres of working farms, ranches and timberland.

The action does not generally transfer the agricultural properties into public ownership. Instead, permanent conservation easements restrict future development while allowing the land to remain privately owned and productive. That distinction preserves agriculture and habitat without making the state responsible for operating each farm or ranch.

In Putnam County, the state approved an easement over 2,708 acres in the Etoniah/Cross Florida Greenway project. The tract will connect the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway with other protected land inside the Ocala-to-Osceola Wildlife Corridor. State officials said the property supports water quality, aquifer recharge, flood protection and broader ecosystem functions.

A second easement covers 3,567 acres in the Panther Glades project in Hendry County. It links Dinner Island Ranch Wildlife Management Area with Finca Vigia while leaving the property in agricultural use. Both Etoniah and Panther Glades appear on the Department of Environmental Protection’s 2026 Florida Forever project list.

Florida Forever is the state’s principal conservation-land acquisition program. DEP says Florida Forever and its predecessor, Preservation 2000, have purchased more than 2.6 million acres since the earlier program began. The governor’s office says more than 500,000 acres have been acquired since 2019, with 92% inside the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

Seven working properties

The agricultural portion covers seven properties in Lake, Martin, Hardee and Columbia counties. The Department of Agriculture listed easement values ranging from $5.44 million to $20.15 million for cattle, horse, hay, sod and timber operations.

The largest single agricultural easement by price is the 219-acre Leonard Property in Martin County at $20.15 million, with Martin County providing half. The county also supplies half of the $7.48 million easement for the 498-acre Turnpike Dairy. Elsewhere, the package protects the 1,586-acre Stokes Farm timber operation in Columbia County and the 1,034-acre Limestone Creek cattle ranch in Hardee County.

Those two Martin County contributions total $13.815 million, reducing the state share of their combined easement prices. The other listed agricultural easements are financed at their announced values without a separate county contribution identified in the department’s release.

FDACS says its Rural and Family Lands Protection Program has now preserved more than 251,000 acres since 2001. The program prioritizes ongoing agricultural operations facing development pressure while protecting water, wildlife and other natural resources.

The immediate result is permanent development limits across all approved properties. The longer-term test is whether the easements maintain habitat connections and working-land production as nearby communities grow. Because easements stay attached to the land, the restrictions continue even if ownership changes.