Florida has added two more ranches to its growing list of protected agricultural lands, with nearly 1,500 acres in Manatee and Highlands counties secured from future development.
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Florida → add → development
The ranches are now permanently protected through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson said in a release.
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Simpson → protect → release
These rural land easements prevent future development while allowing agricultural operations to continue and contribute to Florida’s economy and the production of food, timber and other resources vital to the state’s prosperity.
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operations → prevent → prosperity
“I’m proud to announce today the preservation of two additional working Florida agricultural operations, which builds on the historic progress we’ve made through the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program,” Commissioner Wilton Simpson said in a statement.
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Simpson → ’m → statement
“My goal is to secure the permanent future of agriculture in Florida, and the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program gives us the most effective and cost-efficient way to preserve our natural lands from development while also supporting our farmers and ranchers.
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Program → secure → farmers
”
Since the program began, Florida has protected more than 253,000 acres of farmland, including nearly 188,000 acres under Commissioner Simpson’s administration.
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Florida → begin → administration
The newly protected properties lie within the Florida Wildlife Corridor and are enrolled in the department’s Best Management Practices (BMP) programme.
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properties → protect → programme
Mossy Island
Mossy Island covers about 420 acres used for cattle farming, and its location does much of the work.
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location → cover → work
It sits next to Myakka River State Park to the west and Myakka Prairie Conservation Easements to the south, so it already borders protected land.
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it → sit → land
The surrounding area consists mostly of pasture, with some cropland and scattered low-density housing.
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area → surround → cropland
Mossy Island is protected from future development through a $4 million conservation agreement, with $500,000 contributed by Manatee County.
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Island → protect → County
The state’s announcement also points to the threat.
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announcement → point → threat
Land along the property’s northern boundary is projected to be developed by 2040, according to University of Florida projections.
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Land → project → projections
The easement is intended to prevent that development.
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easement → intend → development
Florida Commission Company Ranch
Florida Commission Company Ranch sits in Highlands County and covers about 1,046 acres.
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Ranch → sit → acres
The farmland is now permanently protected from development through a rural land protection easement totalling $4.7 million.
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farmland → protect → million
The ranch raises cattle on pastures and natural areas and grows hay for on-site use.
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ranch → raise → use
In 2001, Florida established the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program Act, which recognises the importance of working agricultural lands to the state’s economic future.
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which → establish → future
This helps preserve farmland as development puts increasing pressure on rural areas.
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development → preserve → areas
The programme works with farmers and ranchers to keep agricultural land in use and protect natural resources.
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programme → work → resources
The state pays landowners to restrict future development under conservation agreements, but not to stop farming and ranching.
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state → pay → agreements
This allows the land to continue producing food and timber while also helping the state avoid the long-term costs of buying and managing conservation land itself.
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state → allow → land
Since 2022, Commissioner Wilton Simpson has helped secure more than $1.1 billion in state funding for the programme, including $425 million in the 2026–27 state budget.
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Simpson → secure → budget
Simpson has also played a key role in Florida’s land conservation policy long before becoming the state’s Commissioner of Agriculture.
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Simpson → play → Agriculture
During his tenure as Senate President, he backed the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act, which aims to connect and protect natural habitats across the state while keeping working agricultural lands safe from future development.
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which → back → development
Meanwhile, Mossy Island and Florida Commission Company Ranch sit within that corridor.
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Island → sit → corridor
Both are enrolled in the state’s Best Management Practices programme, a set of environmental practices for working land.
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Both → enrol → land
The easements protect the land from development, while the ranchers continue farming under those practices.
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ranchers → protect → practices
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