The Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, Wilton Simpson, has announced that the State of Florida has preserved approximately 2,600 acres of Florida farmland.
The Tumlin Terwillegar Properties Project, located in Alachua, Bradford, Clay and Putnam Counties, is a three-parcel pine plantation preserved through the approval by the Governor and Cabinet, serving as the Board of Trustees of the internal Improvement Trust Fund.
Commissioner Simpson said, “Protecting working agricultural lands like the Tumlin Terwillegar Properties ensures that Florida remains a national leader in food and timber production while preserving the values that make our state unique. These lands are the backbone of our rural economy and critical to the health of the Florida Wildlife Corridor. I’m grateful to the Governor and my fellow Cabinet members for approving a key portion of this project today, reinforcing our shared commitment to conservation and agriculture. Through the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, we’re keeping land in the hands of farmers and ranchers – not developers – and securing a legacy of responsible land stewardship for future generations.”
The project is a second-generation family run timber operation bordered by lakeside residential communities and is entirely located within the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
Dale Sandlin reporting for Southeast AgNet