TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s effort to sell off unneeded conservation lands is off to such a rocky start that it is unlikely to produce anything close to the $50 million envisioned by lawmakers and Gov. Rick Scott.
Trying to kick-start the state’s stalled land-conservation program, Scott and legislators agreed last spring to spend $70 million on environmental land-buying. Most of that amount — $50 million — would have to come from selling other lands “no longer necessary for conservation.”
But since Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection released a list of potential sales parcels totaling 5,300 acres in August, resistance from local politicians and environmental activists has been a steady drumbeat. More than 2,500 individuals and organizations have written letters and emails, the vast majority opposed to selling off various tracts.
For more on this story visit: Aaron Deslatte, Orlando Sentinel
