Florida Wildlife Corridor

Nearly 4,000 acres in Collier and Hendry counties are part of a nearly 35,000-acre package of what is labeled as critical conservation land approved for protection Wednesday.Additionally, approval of a permanent agricultural land conservation easement for a nearly 4,000-acre area in Charlotte County will help support Southwest Florida’s water resources.The approval came via Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet through the Florida Forever Program and legislative appropriations, marking a significant step in preserving the state’s natural heritage.

Land and conservation easements worth $318 million and designed to protect more than 85,000 acres of Florida’s most important wildlife habitats and rural ranchlands were approved for purchase by the state Cabinet Tuesday.Many of the proposed easements are part of the Florida Wildlife Corridor.The purchased conservation lands cover 134 square miles, or 2.5 times the size of the City of Miami, and constitute the largest increment of conservation land and easement purchases ever proposed on a single Cabinet agenda. House and Senate leaders in the Florida Legislature included strategic appropriations for conservation land acquisitions and easements in Florida's budget—an important investment in Florida's economy, ecology, and quality of life.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state Cabinet could be poised to approve spending more than $318 million to buy conservation land and enter other deals that would shield rural properties from development.State staff members have recommended that DeSantis and the Cabinet approve 20 proposals totaling 86,819 acres in 15 counties, from Santa Rosa County in the Panhandle to Glades and Martin counties along Lake Okeechobee. DeSantis and the Cabinet will meet Tuesday.

Five acres is a decent amount of land for a home if you want to keep the neighbors at a decent distance. It turns out that five acres is a rather healthy amount of land to conserve, too, especially when connected to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.

The first of many signs marking the Florida Wildlife Corridor was set in place on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2024, at the Fakachatchee Strand Preserve State Park. The sign designates an entrance to a Southwest Florida portion of the 18 million acres being preserved for animals to let people know they are also welcome to explore the growing state-long pathway