In its meeting Tuesday, the Alachua County Commission agreed to allocate $10 million to the conservation of agricultural land.
The motion would allow Alachua County Forever to fund the acquisition of land with the intentions to be conserved and other projects under ACF’s Agricultural Land Protection Strategy.
The program has acquired 17 conservation easements and is hoping to protect 30% of water and land in the county by 2030, according to Andi Christman, Alachua County Land Conservation Manager.
The ACF aims to obtain agricultural lands that supply water and contain wildlife through the purchase of development rights. It aims to protect the land from the impacts of climate change and industrialization.
The funding would come from the surtax funds of Wild Spaces & Public Places, which was re-approved by Alachua County voters in 2022.
The ACF also recommended Tuesday that a citizen board be created, which would interpret and present projects to the Alachua County Commission. The ACF suggested cost sharing as a potential funding strategy for the project.
During the meeting, Commissioner Anna Prizzia gave her thoughts on each conservation easement being a bargain share, which is when land is discounted due to its purpose for conservation. She explained that because sometimes partners cannot agree on a single percentage of the cost to cover, bargain shares must be revised multiple times.
Prizzia also suggested adding sinkholes to the environmental considerations ranking criteria. She believes the program will help farmers flourish economically, and the program can be supported in the long term if it’s viewed from an economic development standpoint, she said.
Tom Kay, executive director of the Alachua Conservation Trust, said he supports the program during public comment.
“Getting this on track, giving the demand and the change in transition in farmers, and just the aging out, it’s evident that there’s a need for the program,” Kay said.
During public comment, Nancy Deren, an Alachua County resident, spoke in support of the flexibility the program would give farmers.
“Flexibility is really, really important so farmers can adapt to climate change and other pressures,” she said.
The motion passed unanimously.
The next Alachua County Commissioner regular meeting will be Sept. 24.
Contact Sofia Meyers at @smeyers@alligator.org. Follow her on X @SofiaMeyer84496.
