State to buy land for conservation and buffer for Whiting Field
Tom McLaughlin
Pensacola News Journal | USA TODAY NETWORK
Gov. Ron DeSantis's office announced Dec. 17 that the Florida cabinet had approved an investment of $27.4 million to protect over 21,500 acres of conservation and agricultural lands across the state.
Among the parcels purchased to be set aside for protection is a 7,437-acre parcel within the Coastal Headwaters Longleaf Forest Florida Forever Project in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
The land will be placed under a conservation easement and "will provide a critical buffer for key military installations while protecting water quality and aquifer recharge in the Perdido and Escambia river watersheds," a news release from the governor's office said.
The Coastal Headwaters Longleaf Forest project includes land that has been set aside as a buffer and link between Whiting Field and the Blackwater River State Park. The protected lands provide healthy habitat for species such as gopher tortoises and swallow-tailed kites and protections to local waterways.
The property lies within the Northwest Florida Sentinel Landscape and Florida Wildlife Corridor, the news release said.
The acquisitions were undertaken to strengthen not only Florida's conservation network, according to the release, but also to support military readiness through Sentinel Landscapes and preserve family-owned agricultural lands, ensuring the state's natural and rural landscapes remain intact for future generations.
Founded in 2013, the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership brings together federal agencies, state and local governments, and private organizations, according to the partnership's website. The group works with willing landowners and land managers to advance sustainable land use practices around military installations and ranges.
Other land acquisitions announced include the purchase of two conservation easements totaling just under 11,000 acres within the Caloosahatchee Big Cypress Corridor in Collier and Hendry counties, a 2,060-acre rural lands protection easement within the Tilton Family Farm Project in Putnam County and a 1,059-acre rural lands protection easement within the Siboney Ranch Project in Okeechobee County.
As part of his budget proposals for fiscal 2026-27, DeSantis has recommended $115 million be set aside for the Florida Forever Program and another $200 million for the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program.