Florida Forever secures Bar-B Ranch conservation easement to protect working lands and support Everglades restoration efforts

Tallahassee, Florida – In a significant move for conservation and Everglades restoration, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has secured a 1,668-acre conservation easement over Bar-B Ranch in Martin County. The acquisition, part of the Florida Forever Program, ensures that the property will remain a working cattle ranch while permanently safeguarding its environmental functions and preventing future development.

Bar-B Ranch, located near the C-44 Stormwater Treatment Area and the Allapattah Flats Wildlife Management Area, has been operated as a ranch for decades and currently supports about 250 head of cattle. By keeping the property in agricultural production, the conservation easement balances economic use with environmental protection, demonstrating how working lands can coexist with ecological stewardship.

“Conservation easements through Florida Forever keep working lands in agriculture while protecting the natural functions that support our environment,” said DEP Secretary Alexis A. Lambert. “At Bar-B Ranch, protecting a working ranch also protects critical water flows, wetland functions and wildlife corridors, showing how agricultural lands and Everglades restoration can support each other.”

The property was identified for acquisition as a key component of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, a long-term strategy to restore natural water storage and improve water quality throughout South Florida. By preserving strategic parcels of land, the plan aims to ensure that water flows freely through the Everglades system while filtering out nutrients and pollutants before they reach sensitive ecosystems.

Bar-B Ranch plays a critical role in this effort. Its natural terrain helps store and cleanse water before it reaches downstream ecosystems, including the St. Lucie River Estuary, the Indian River Lagoon, Lake Okeechobee, and eventually the Greater Everglades. Protecting the land maintains its ability to provide these essential services, which would be compromised if development were allowed to proceed.

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In addition to its role in water management, Bar-B Ranch lies within the Florida Wildlife Corridor, a statewide network of connected habitats that allows wildlife to move safely across the landscape. Conservation of this property helps maintain habitat connectivity, ensuring species can migrate and thrive despite increasing urbanization in surrounding areas.

The acquisition received approval from Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet during a previous meeting, signaling state leadership’s ongoing commitment to strategic land protection. Florida Forever is widely regarded as a national model for state-led conservation, protecting land that provides multiple benefits, from environmental and recreational to economic and security-related advantages.

Since 2019, Florida has invested more than $1.5 billion in the Florida Forever Program, enabling the DEP to acquire over 500,000 acres for conservation purposes. Notably, 55% of these acquisitions are conservation easements, which allow land to remain in productive use while protecting critical ecological functions. These efforts demonstrate the state’s strategy of combining preservation with practical land use, ensuring long-term sustainability for both people and nature.

Officials say that projects like Bar-B Ranch exemplify how conservation and agriculture can work hand in hand. By preventing development while allowing ranching to continue, the easement protects water storage, filtration, and wetland functions—all vital to the health of South Florida’s waterways—without disrupting the livelihoods of local landowners.

Florida Forever lands also provide broader benefits, including storm resilience, outdoor recreational opportunities, and protections for habitat and species. The program represents a comprehensive approach to land management, one that balances environmental needs with social, economic, and cultural priorities.

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For residents and visitors interested in learning more, information about the Florida Forever Program and its conservation efforts is available at Florida Forever. The program continues to highlight Florida’s leadership in land protection and its innovative approach to integrating conservation with working landscapes.

The Bar-B Ranch acquisition reinforces the state’s vision of a Florida where working lands, wildlife corridors, and water quality protection coexist. By preserving this key property, the DEP is advancing both agricultural productivity and the long-term restoration of the Everglades, showing that smart conservation planning can benefit people, wildlife, and ecosystems alike.