Charles H. Bronson, Commissioner    -    James R. Karels, Director

Rural and Family Lands Protection Program

Following the passage of the Rural and Family Lands Protection Act in 2001, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Charles H. Bronson submitted an Agriculture and Resource Conservation Assessment of the Act to the Governor, the Senate President, and House Speaker.

The Assessment, prepared by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in consultation with other public agencies and interested parties from the agricultural and environmental communities, substantiated the concerns of those who supported the passage of this key economic, environmental and growth management legislation. Those concerns are listed below:

• Florida continues to lose valuable agricultural lands to urban development at an alarming rate.
• Florida’s rural land base has experienced a five-fold increase in urban conversion from 1964 to 1997.
• This increase in urban land use resulted in the loss of nearly 5 million acres of valuable agricultural lands during this period.

According to research performed by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), Florida can expect to lose another 1.3 million acres of land to urban conversion in the next ten years. The development of isolated, rural landscapes is fragmenting and degrading the quality and character of Florida’s natural and agricultural lands. Not only does the prevailing development pattern threaten the state’s ability to meet the needs of its citizens through adequate delivery of services and the maintenance of an agricultural economy, it also interrupts the natural hydrological and biological functions that support both agriculture and healthy ecosystems.

Funding for the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP) was provided during the 2008 legislative session as part of the re-authorization of the Florida Forever Program. The Rural and Family Lands Protection Program is much different from the Conservation and Recreation Lands Program (CARL) funded under Florida Forever and its predecessor programs. While CARL focuses on protecting and preserving natural communities and providing nature-based recreational opportunities, the RFLPP focuses on maintaining the integrity and function of working agricultural landscapes and ensuring opportunities for viable agricultural activities on working agricultural lands. RFLPP will focus on acquiring development rights using permanent easements from qualified and willing agricultural land owners. This program, through permanent easement acquisitions, will protect agricultural lands in the path of development so that Florida will continue to maintain a viable agricultural sector as part of the State's economy, while allowing its citizens the opportunity to continue to enjoy rural landscapes and open space.

• Rule Chapter 5I-7, F.A.C. was filed with the Secretary of State with the efffective date of the rule being November 4, 2008.
• On October 31, 2008, a Notice will be published in the Florida Administrative Weekly (FAW) announcing the start of an application cycle on November 4th, and the deadline for submitting applications for this first review cycle to be 5:00 p.m. EST on December 19, 2008.
• Review and ranking of applications will commence in January 2009.
• Anticipate easement acquisition on approved list to commence as early as March 2009.

• Agriculture and Resource Conservation Assessment of the Rural and Family Lands Protection Act report (pdf)
• Rule Chapter 5I-7, F.A.C. for the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (pdf)
• Rural and Family Lands Protection Program Application (pdf). Applications can be accepted starting November 4, 2008.

John Browne, Land Acqusition Administrator
Florida Division of Forestry
3125 Conner Blvd. Tallahassee, FL 32399-1650
Phone: 850/414-9910
FAX: 850/ 921-6724
Email: brownej@doacs.state.fl.us