Simpson announces first acquisition of permanent rural land protection easement 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson announced the first acquisition of a permanent rural land protection easement through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

The easement protects the Curren Dairy property through the department’s Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. 

Curren Dairy is a beef and dairy operation in Okeechobee County. The easement consists of approximately 237 acres, including 96 acres of improved pasture and 70 acres of native range.

According to the department, rural land protection easements “prevent future development of the land and allow agriculture operations to continue to contribute to Florida’s economy and the production of food, timber, and other resources vital to the prosperity of Florida.”

Simpson said the Curren Dairy property has been in agriculture for over 50 years.

“With its recent approval into our program, we will ensure that it can stay in agriculture for 50 more,” Simpson said.

“To receive the authority to acquire easements under $5 million without Board approval and just six months later close on this project is a demonstration of the efficiency and nimbleness of this department to the benefit of Florida’s agricultural conservation efforts,” Simpson explained.

During the 2023 Legislative Session, HB 1279 was signed to support the department’s Rural and Family Lands Protection Program by no longer requiring the department to submit a purchase agreement to the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund for approval for projects with a purchase price of less than $5 million.

The commissioner said the rural land protection easements “strengthen our food security through 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 best management practices.”

Simpson asked the Florida Legislature for $300 million in this year’s budget for the program.

Last month, the governor and cabinet also formally approved the program’s project acquisition list, which ranks over 250 eligible properties for acquisition, estimated at over $1 billion in value.

A story map of all completed Rural and Family Lands Protection Program projects can be viewed here: FDACS.gov/RFLPPMap.