Bruce Ritchie
Despite opposition from environmental groups, a House committee on Thursday voted to file a bill allowing the Cabinet to give state park lands to adjacent landowners.
The committee bill, SAC 15-02, also would establish “low-impact agriculture” as a management goal for state lands along with existing goals such as recreation and protection of endangered species.
Rep. Matt Caldwell, a Republican from North Fort Myers, said the bill would allow landowners to acquire adjacent state land by agreeing not to develop the state land or their own property. He said the state could end up conserving land without having to spend money.
“It sets up a novel approach to enlarging our conservation profile,” Caldwell said.
Environmental groups, though, have raised concerns.
The bill would create an new “shadow” category for state conservation land, David Cullen of Sierra Club Florida said.
Under the state constitution, the Cabinet must determine that state land no longer is needed for conservation before it can be sold or traded.
Cullen, though, said the bill creates a “convoluted” situation by also requiring that the land no longer needed for conservation also has a conservation easement over it to prevent development.
“The Sierra Club can’t support a goal that says conservation land is no longer needed,” Cullen said.
Likewise, The Nature Conservancy and the Conservancy of Southwest Florida are concerned that the state Acquisition and Restoration Council would not be a part of the review process for such deals.
Stephanie Kunkel, representing the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, raised concerns that low-impact agriculture still could cause pollution of waterways.
There was no description in the bill of what agricultural activities would be allowed on state land. Rep. Ben Albritton, a Republican citrus farmer from Wauchula, said he could envision organic orange groves being allowed.
A Nature Conservancy representative said the group could support the bill with language that included a review by the Acquisition and Restoration Council.
A representative of the Florida Farm Bureau Federation indicated support for the bill without elaborating.
The bill is similar to HB 33 in 2013 which died after passing one committee stop with environmental opposition.
Caldwell said Florida is a diverse state and that his legislation gives the Cabinet the flexibility to take advantage of deals.
“Every dollar you save by doing things like this is a dollar we can spend on really critical pieces where this isn’t an opportunity,” Caldwell said.
Caldwell chairs the House State Affairs Committee, which voted 12-3 to file the bill with three Democrats voting against. The next step will be for the bill to be filed and receive committee assignments.
Bruce Ritchie (@bruceritchie) covers environment, energy and growth management in Tallahassee.
