Flagler closes on land for preserve; 3,800 acres, including swamp, to be conserved
Published on April 17, 2026
Flagler County closed April 9 on the largest land acquisition in the history of its Environmentally Sensitive Lands program, or ESL.
The 3,800 acres in central Flagler will become the Big Cypress Swamp Nature Preserve and encompass almost the entirety of the swamp. As part of the ESL program, the purchase means the land will be used for conservation efforts in perpetuity.
In the works for more than a year, the county acquired the $6.05 million property from the Folke H. Peterson Charitable Foundation - a trust in the name of Peterson, who died in December 1988.
"The preserve contains upland and wetland habitats including mesic flatwoods, wet flatwoods, basin swamp, hydric hammock and freshwater marsh - which provides foraging and nesting habitat for a variety of wildlife species including rare and imperiled species such as the wood stork, the eastern black rail, and the eastern indigo snake," said ESL and Natural Resources Manager Erick Revuelta in a press release. "The site is also home to a large population of the Florida black bear."
The swamp is a "regionally significant wetland system that constitutes the headwaters of White Branch - a tributary that flows into Crescent Lake and the St. Johns River," according to the county.
Located north of State Road 100 near the unincorporated Daytona North community, the location is "a critical part of long-term regional conservation efforts, securing an important link between thousands of acres of natural lands in the Ocala-to-Matanzas Conservation Corridor."
Funding for the project was provided by the state as part of a Florida Wildlife Corridor Initiative, in partnership with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and with the help from former House Speaker Paul Renner, who's now running for governor.
The Big Cypress Swamp Nature Preserve will be managed by the county's Land Management Department, whose work on the property will likely include "the reintroduction of prescribed fire as well as invasive species control," according to Revuelta.
"As part of the development of a management plan for the preserve, county staff will evaluate the site for potential use for wetland mitigation to offset impacts associated with county projects such as new roadways, parks, and fire and police stations," Revuelta added.
How much land has Flagler acquired through ESL program?
The county's ESL program began in 1988 after being approved in a county-wide referendum, according to the county's website.
Part of the program's goals is to preserve "rare natural communities and wildlife habitats/ecosystems" in Flagler County, as well as their "unique cultural, historic, scenic and significant geologic features." Promoting "improved water quality," as well as "protecting the Floridian aquifer and preserving water recharge areas" is another part of the program.
Program funds are collected from ad-valorem property taxes. However, as was the case with the latest purchase, the county could partner "with federal, state, local or non-governmental organizations to fund conservation projects."
"To date the county has spent approximately $27 million from ESL funds and $33.5 million from outside funding sources," according to the website.
Recently, the developer of the upcoming Summertown development in Flagler Beach agreed to sell 153 acres of the floodplain on Bulow Creek Preserve. The deal gives the county three years to secure the funds necessary to purchase the land, which could come from the state's Florida Forever program or, if that fails, from the county's own ESL program.
Other ESL purchases in the program's decades-long history include:
Bing's Landing, 1989 - 7 acres, $1million.
Haw Creek Preserve, 1990 - 1,015 acres, $1.1 million.
Princess Place, 1993 - 1,500 acres, $1.8 million.
Shell Bluff, 2005 - 90 acres, $1 million.
Long's Landing, 2008 - 9 acres, $1.4 million.
Bay Drive Park, 2009 - 13 acres, $5.9 million.
Bulow Park, 2009 - 97 acres, $2.5million.
Pellicer Flats, 2010 - 980 acres, $3.25 million.
Kelly Parcel, 2024 - 25 acres, $490,000.
Three Creeks Preserve (Raydient), 2025 - 307 acres, $3 million.
Palm Coast Intracoastal Park (Marlow), 2025 - 5 acres, $1.8 million.
The 3,800 acres in central Flagler will become the Big Cypress Swamp Nature Preserve and encompass almost the entirety of the swamp. As part of the ESL program, the purchase means the land will be used for conservation efforts in perpetuity.
In the works for more than a year, the county acquired the $6.05 million property from the Folke H. Peterson Charitable Foundation - a trust in the name of Peterson, who died in December 1988.
"The preserve contains upland and wetland habitats including mesic flatwoods, wet flatwoods, basin swamp, hydric hammock and freshwater marsh - which provides foraging and nesting habitat for a variety of wildlife species including rare and imperiled species such as the wood stork, the eastern black rail, and the eastern indigo snake," said ESL and Natural Resources Manager Erick Revuelta in a press release. "The site is also home to a large population of the Florida black bear."
The swamp is a "regionally significant wetland system that constitutes the headwaters of White Branch - a tributary that flows into Crescent Lake and the St. Johns River," according to the county.
Located north of State Road 100 near the unincorporated Daytona North community, the location is "a critical part of long-term regional conservation efforts, securing an important link between thousands of acres of natural lands in the Ocala-to-Matanzas Conservation Corridor."
Funding for the project was provided by the state as part of a Florida Wildlife Corridor Initiative, in partnership with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and with the help from former House Speaker Paul Renner, who's now running for governor.
The Big Cypress Swamp Nature Preserve will be managed by the county's Land Management Department, whose work on the property will likely include "the reintroduction of prescribed fire as well as invasive species control," according to Revuelta.
"As part of the development of a management plan for the preserve, county staff will evaluate the site for potential use for wetland mitigation to offset impacts associated with county projects such as new roadways, parks, and fire and police stations," Revuelta added.
How much land has Flagler acquired through ESL program?
The county's ESL program began in 1988 after being approved in a county-wide referendum, according to the county's website.
Part of the program's goals is to preserve "rare natural communities and wildlife habitats/ecosystems" in Flagler County, as well as their "unique cultural, historic, scenic and significant geologic features." Promoting "improved water quality," as well as "protecting the Floridian aquifer and preserving water recharge areas" is another part of the program.
Program funds are collected from ad-valorem property taxes. However, as was the case with the latest purchase, the county could partner "with federal, state, local or non-governmental organizations to fund conservation projects."
"To date the county has spent approximately $27 million from ESL funds and $33.5 million from outside funding sources," according to the website.
Recently, the developer of the upcoming Summertown development in Flagler Beach agreed to sell 153 acres of the floodplain on Bulow Creek Preserve. The deal gives the county three years to secure the funds necessary to purchase the land, which could come from the state's Florida Forever program or, if that fails, from the county's own ESL program.
Other ESL purchases in the program's decades-long history include:
Bing's Landing, 1989 - 7 acres, $1million.
Haw Creek Preserve, 1990 - 1,015 acres, $1.1 million.
Princess Place, 1993 - 1,500 acres, $1.8 million.
Shell Bluff, 2005 - 90 acres, $1 million.
Long's Landing, 2008 - 9 acres, $1.4 million.
Bay Drive Park, 2009 - 13 acres, $5.9 million.
Bulow Park, 2009 - 97 acres, $2.5million.
Pellicer Flats, 2010 - 980 acres, $3.25 million.
Kelly Parcel, 2024 - 25 acres, $490,000.
Three Creeks Preserve (Raydient), 2025 - 307 acres, $3 million.
Palm Coast Intracoastal Park (Marlow), 2025 - 5 acres, $1.8 million.