(NSF) — A pair of land deals covering nearly 10,000 acres in Dixie and DeSoto counties, at a combined cost of $8.5 million, will go before Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Cabinet on Dec. 3, according to an agenda posted Monday.
The Lyme Cross City Forest Company deal in Dixie County carries a price tag of $2 million. The proposal would establish a conservation easement for 5,785 acres of timberland that is within the Lower Suwannee River and Gulf Watershed Florida Forever project. The land acquisition is intended to protect and enhance water quality and enhance management practices of the ongoing silviculture operation, according to the agenda.
The Cabinet is also slated to act on a proposed $6.5 million deal for 3,891 acres in DeSoto County. The state hopes to recoup more than 40 percent of the purchase price of the Tiger Bay Ranch property through a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to documents posted on the Cabinet website. The active ranchland would also be placed into a conservation easement, which allows property owners to continue using the land while preventing development.
Cabinet aides have recommended that approval for both proposals.
Source: News Service of Florida