Florida’s Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP) has secured another major preservation victory, permanently protecting 958 acres at Double Eagle Ranch in Volusia County. The program works with landowners to preserve working farms and ranches through conservation easements, keeping the land in private hands while removing development rights.
This latest deal ensures the property — which includes planted timber and wetlands — will remain in agricultural use and safeguarded for future generations. Since its creation in 2001, RFLPP has preserved more than 125,000 acres statewide.
Daryl Carter, President of Maury L. Carter & Associates, told the Orlando Business Journal that while growth is vital to Florida’s future, conservation is equally critical. He emphasized the connection between real estate activity and preservation funding:
“More commerce and more business can mean more money for conservation,” Carter said, noting that land transactions generate deed taxes that help fund Florida’s land restoration and preservation initiatives.
The Double Eagle Ranch joins a growing list of Central Florida properties protected under RFLPP, including Yarborough Ranch in Seminole County, Heart Bar Ranch in Osceola County, and thousands of acres across Brevard and Osceola counties.
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