Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet next week are expected to consider a nearly $7 million deal that would help protect 4,177 acres of land north of Lake Okeechobee. The proposal, which Scott and the Cabinet will take up May 23, involves buying what is known as “perpetual conservation easement” for the land about 15 miles north of the lake in Okeechobee County. The state would pay $6,954,705 to Triple S Ranch, Inc., which has primarily used the land for pastures. Under conservation easements, landowners typically can continue to use the property for such things as agriculture but cannot develop it. The Cabinet agenda said the property includes numerous rare and endangered species, with a Florida panther traveling in the area.
(from The News Service of Florida)
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