June 10, 2025

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson today announced that the State of Florida has preserved nearly 2,600 acres of working Florida farmland located in Alachua, Bradford, Clay, and Putnam counties through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. The Tumlin Terwillegar Properties Project, a pine plantation comprised of three parcels, was fully preserved today through approval by the Governor and Cabinet, sitting as the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, and by the department’s statutory authority under RFLPP.

Rural lands protection easements prevent future development of the land and allow agriculture operations to continue to contribute to Florida’s economy and the production of food, timber, and other resources vital to the prosperity of Florida.

“Protecting working agricultural lands like the Tumlin Terwillegar Properties ensures that Florida remains a national leader in food and timber production while preserving the values that make our state unique. These lands are the backbone of our rural economy and critical to the health of the Florida Wildlife Corridor,” said Commissioner Wilton Simpson. “I’m grateful to the Governor and my fellow Cabinet member for approving a key portion of this project today, reinforcing our shared commitment to conservation and agriculture. Through the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, we’re keeping land in the hands of farmers and ranchers – not developers – and securing a legacy of responsible land stewardship for future generations.”

The Governor and Cabinet approved today the preservation of 1,745 acres of the subject property, with the department preserving the remaining two parcels of the property consisting of 826 acres under RFLPP statutory authority. The project is enrolled in the FDACS Best Management Practices (BMP) program and is entirely located within the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

Tumlin Terwillegar Properties

The Tumlin Terwillegar Properties Project is a second-generation family-run timber operation. The project consists of a 2,585-acre pine plantation. The project includes two disjunct tracts under three ownerships, the subject property, just east of Santa Fe Lake, and two smaller parcels. Tracts of Black Lake Preserve, Lake Santa Fe Parcels, and Lake Santa Fe Florida Forever Board of Trustees project provide intervening connections of the tracts to the lake. Other than isolated cypress wetlands, nearly all parts of the tracts are in forestry/pine plantation. The project is bordered by lakeside residential communities as well as various mixed pasture/forest/residential properties, much of which is projected to be developed by 2040 in UF’s development projections.

About the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program

Established in 2001 with the passage of the Rural and Family Lands Protection Act, the program recognizes that working agricultural lands are essential to Florida's economic future. Agricultural lands are being increasingly threatened by urban development. To counter this trend, the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program partners with farmers and ranchers to ensure sustainable production practices while protecting natural resources. Since its inception, the program has permanently preserved 212,600 acres of working agricultural land, with 147,300 acres preserved during Commissioner Simpson’s administration.

During the 2024 Legislative Session, Commissioner Simpson helped to secure a $100 million legislative appropriation for the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program and another $100 million each fiscal year, appropriated in SB 1638, to support the Florida Wildlife Corridor, including the acquisition of rural land protection easements under the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program.

Commissioner Simpson has been involved in Florida’s land conservation policy issues long before becoming Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture. As Senate President, Commissioner Simpson championed the successful passage of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act, which directed the state of Florida to better protect and connect Florida’s natural areas and wildlife habitats and to preserve working agricultural lands from future development. As Senate President, Commissioner Simpson also secured a $300 million legislative appropriation for the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program.

A story map of all completed Rural and Family Lands Protection Program projects can be viewed here: FDACS.gov/RFLPPMap.

For more information about Commissioner Simpson and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit FDACS.gov.