The county s Planning and Development Services Department staff have been working with the conservation nonprofit Nokuse Education Inc. and affiliated organizations to assist their ongoing conservation efforts. According to information presented Thursday to the commissioners, the 6,948 acres were recently purchased by Nokuse Education Inc. through a Florida Forever grant award.
Florida Forever is a trust fund program of the state s Department of Environmental Protection with revenue funded with real estate taxes. Since the program s inception in 2001, the state has purchased more than 869,000 acres costing about $3.2 billion, according to the department s website.
The 59 parcels involved in the commission s decision are adjacent to or abut tracts already owned by Nokuse Education Inc. and affiliated organizations that already are designated as conservation parcels.