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Commissioner Wilton Simpson Announces Preservation of Florida Family Farm Through Rural and Family Lands Protection Program
Commissioner Wilton Simpson Announces Preservation of Florida Family Farm Through Rural and Family Lands Protection Program
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson announced the preservation of a Florida family farm through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. South Prong, a nearly 2,400-acre working timber and hunting property in Baker County, is being preserved through a rural land protection easement for $4,999,000.
“We’re thrilled to welcome South Prong to the growing community of generational farmers in Florida dedicated to the productivity and sustainability of our agricultural landscape through the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program,” said Commissioner Wilton Simpson. “Protecting our rural lands through rural land easements enhances food security, keeps these properties in the local tax system, and ensures property owners comply with state conservation standards for land and natural resources.”
The Rural and Family Lands Protection Program purchases the development rights to the agricultural properties through voluntary rural land protection easements, which prevent the 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.
South Prong
South Prong is a working forest and hunting property situated at the headwaters of the South Prong of the St. Marys River. The property includes 1,427 acres of uplands, of which 1,355 acres represent actively managed timber and 72 acres of other agriculture. Pine species on the property include slash, loblolly, and longleaf; stands range from semi-natural flatwoods to pine plantation, with a diversity of age classes. More than 970 acres of wetlands are considered as natural area, although 113 acres of wet flatwoods are used in active forestry. The remaining 860 acres represent mixed pine-hardwood bottomland and cypress swamp (bottomland forest, hydric hammock, baygall, floodplain/basin swamp). In addition to forestry, the property supports income-producing managed hunts and agritourism. The property also is open to various youth and educational groups.
About the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program
Established in 2001 with the passage of the Rural and Family Lands Protection Act, the program recognizes that working agricultural lands are essential to Florida’s economic future. Agricultural lands are being increasingly threatened by urban development. To counter this trend, the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program partners with farmers and ranchers to ensure sustainable production practices while protecting natural resources.
During the 2024 Legislative Session, Commissioner Simpson helped to secure from the Florida Legislature $100 million for the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program and another $100 million each fiscal year, appropriated in SB 1638, to support the Florida Wildlife Corridor, including the acquisition of conservation easements under the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program.
Commissioner Simpson recently recognized the families of the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program at an event in Lake Placid, Florida, and celebrated the program’s 100,000th acre milestone in agricultural land preservation.
Commissioner Simpson has been involved in Florida’s land conservation policy issues long before becoming Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture. As Senate President, Commissioner Simpson championed the successful passage of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act, which directed the state of Florida to better protect and connect Florida’s natural areas and wildlife habitats and to preserve working agricultural lands from future development. As Senate President, Commissioner Simpson also secured $300 million for the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program.
A story map of all completed Rural and Family Lands Protection Program projects can be viewed here: FDACS.gov/RFLPPMap.
For more information about Commissioner Simpson and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit FDACS.gov.
