FROM THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA:
Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet on Tuesday will consider spending $3 million as part of a plan to help conserve 617 acres of ranch land in Pasco County.
The state and Pasco County would split the overall $6 million cost of buying what is known as a “conservation easement” on the Phillips-Mathis ranch. Under the deal, the ranch would continue to be used for agriculture but could not be developed. A state staff recommendation said the property is one of the last ranches of its size in Pasco County.
“The owners have received numerous offers to acquire the property for development, but their intent is to manage the lands as a working ranch into the future,” the staff recommendation said.