News Release

(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) -- Agricultural and environmental groups joined ranks to express support for House and Senate bills to finance protection of vanishing Florida farmland. The groups launched a renewed effort to pass SB 728 and HB 1101, which would implement the Rural and Family Lands Protection Act. The rural lands program was passed by the 2001 Legislature and still awaits state funding. The Rural Lands Protection Program preserves farmland that is under threat of development by purchasing development rights from the landowner.

Sen. Paula Dockery is sponsoring the measure and said that two years after the growth management commission recommended the program, the time has come to put some money behind it. In addition, Dockery said, "Florida risks losing matching federal grants by not funding its own farm protection program."

Dockery was joined by Commissioner of Agriculture Charles Bronson, Rep. Ken Littlefield, Rep. Marty Bowen and members of the Florida Farm Bureau Federation, Florida Cattlemen's Association, Florida Forestry Association, The Nature Conservancy, 1000 Friends of Florida and Audubon of Florida.

Commissioner Bronson said, "We strongly support this visionary program, which is endorsed by both the agricultural and environmental communities as a means of preserving our rural heritage. We urge the Legislature to provide the necessary funding to begin this effort."

House sponsor Rep. Ken Littlefield said, "Florida will lose 1.5 million acres of valuable timber and ranch lands to urban conversion over the next decade. This farmland supports our economy and in many cases provides important water protection, wildlife habitat and open space benefits. Loss of farmland hurts our economy and hurts the environment."

Dockery pointed out that not only does the farmland proposal have bipartisan support, it has the support of both farm and environmental groups that don't always agree on other issues.

Sam Ard, lobbyist for Florida Cattlemen's Association, noted that Florida's ranchlands, which are an important source of beef, are pressured by unchecked growth. "This will keep cattle ranching a viable part of Florida's economic future," he said.

Florida Farm Bureau Federation spokesman Phil Leary pointed out that under Florida's growth management scheme, many rural landowners are caught in an economic squeeze where it is hard to make a living farming and alternative uses of the land are restricted. "Agriculture provides many environmental benefits, and this legislation forms a partnership between the State and rural landowners to provide those benefits," Leary said.

Florida Forestry Association Director Alan Shelby added his group's support, saying, "Florida's forest products industry is a vital part of our state's economy, generating approximately $9 billion annually. Our forests provide a host of environmental benefits such as clean air, clean water and valuable wildlife habitat. As development pressures continue to mount and alternative land uses become more attractive, forest landowners are faced with the difficult choice of replanting or selling their property."

Conservation groups, who support the approach because much of Florida's farmland provides valuable environmental benefits, have called on the Legislature to fund the program.

Sue Mullins, Government Relations Manager of the Nature Conservancy, said, "The Rural Lands Protection Act will provide for conservation easements over rural lands to protect water and wildlife."

Audubon of Florida Policy Director Eric Draper added that many birds and endangered species depend on Florida's privately owned ranch and timber lands for habitat. "Each time a ranch or forest is sold off for development, we lose vital wildlife habitat."

1000 Friends of Florida Executive Director Charles Pattison said, "The Rural Lands Program will be a valuable growth management tool."

The Florida Farm Bureau is the largest independent agricultural association in Florida, representing the interests of more than 150,300 member-families. There are Farm Bureaus in 62 counties in Florida, where agriculture comprises a stable, vital leg of Florida's economy, rivaling the tourism industry in economic importance.