The Southwest Florida Water Management District is spending $7.5 million to protect two ranches with four miles along the Peace River from becoming subdivisions or strip malls.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s nearly 1,300 acres along the Peace River is being protected under the popular Florida Forever land preservation program.<\/p>\n
C&D Ranch and Rock Bend Ranch cover land half-again as large as New York City\u2019s Central Park, including the riverfront in DeSoto and Hardee counties.<\/p>\n
The district isn\u2019t buying the land outright. It\u2019s buying the development rights, through what\u2019s called a conservation easement. <\/p>\n
The purchase essentially puts the development rights in the hands of the taxpayer.<\/p>\n
About half of the acreage is wetlands, a natural system that filters pollutants before water flows, in this case, to Charlotte Harbor. <\/p>\n
Both ranches sit within the Florida Wildlife Corridor.<\/p>\n
Since voters approved the constitutional amendment in 1998 that led to Florida Forever, the program has more than one million acres in protection.<\/p>\n
Environmental reporting for WGCU is funded in part by\u00a0VoLo Foundation<\/a>, a nonprofit with a mission to accelerate change and global impact by supporting science-based climate solutions, enhancing education, and improving health.<\/p>\n