Prescribed burning is a valuable land management tool

Taking care of the natural and cultural resources of Florida’s more than 3.8 million acres of conservation lands is important. Nearly all of these conservation lands are open to the public for recreation, and nearly all lands require some form of stewardship activity, so the Division of State Lands (Division) leases these lands to state agencies and local governments to manage. The Division has leased over 500 conservation areas that include parks, preserves, forests, wildlife management areas and other conservation and recreation areas. The Division also leases non-conservation lands to state agencies and local governments for such uses as universities, correctional institutions, government buildings, etc.

Land Management Plan and Land Use Plan Overview

A land use or land management plan is required for all uplands under lease from the State of Florida. Land Use Plans are required for non-conservation lands, and Land Management Plans are required for conservation lands. Both Florida Statutes (Section 253.034(5), F.S.) and the lease from the State require that an initial Land Use or Land Management Plan be submitted to the Division within one year from the date the land is first leased. The plan must be updated and submitted again at least every ten years thereafter. A conservation land management plan must also be updated whenever new facilities are added, previously unapproved substantive land use or land management changes are proposed, or within one year of the addition of significant new lands. Failure to comply with Land Management Plan or Land Use Plan requirements can result in revocation of a state lands lease.

Developing a Plan

The plan requirements differ for conservation and non-conservation lands. The Division has identified which properties it considers to be in each category based on guidance from the Florida Statutes. The first step is to determine which category a property is in. The lease for the property will indicate whether a Land Use Plan is required (non-conservation) or a Land Management Plan (conservation) is required. The Division maintains this lease information, and it is available from Ms. Vicki Thompson. Information pertaining to actual conservation Land Management Plans is available from Ms. Catherine Ingram. Information regarding non-conservation Land Use Plans is available from Ms. Amanda Marsh.

Non-Conservation Land Use Plans

The Division has developed a form that includes all the statutory and rule requirements for submittal of a Land Use Plan. While this form is not required, its use is encouraged. Completed land use plans should be submitted to Ms. Avis Lockett in PDF format, (both the form and any attachments). Hard copies are not required.

Conservation Land Management Plans

All Land Management Plans must meet statutory (Sections 253.034(5) and 259.032(10), F.S.) and rule requirements. A checklist is available which itemizes these requirements. All managers of conservation lands are requested to include this checklist at the beginning of any submitted land management plan in order to assist ARC members and other reviewers in finding relevant references within the plans.

Land Management Plans over 160 acres

Land Management Plans for parcels over 160 acres must be presented to the Acquisition and Restoration Council (ARC) for their recommendations. Pursuant to Florida Statute, ARC has 90 days to review these management plans. This requires the plans to be received by the Division at least 90 days prior to the next scheduled ARC meeting. Please refer to the ARC Calendar. The Division requires that 7 hard copies and 6 CDs with the entire management plan and appendices be delivered to Ms. Avis Lockett, DEP, 3900 Commonwealth Blvd., MS 140, Tallahassee, FL 32399 at least 90 days prior to the scheduled ARC meeting.

Land Management Plans 160 acres or less

Land Management Plans for parcels less than 160 acres may use a form that was developed by the Division. The form contains all the same requirements stated in the checklist. Once the Management Plan has been received, it will be placed on the Division web page for  two weeks to allow for review by the members of ARC. The ARC members may request that the plan be presented at a regularly scheduled meeting. The Division requires that one hard copy and one CD with the plan and appendices be submitted to Ms. Avis Lockett, DEP, 3900 Commonwealth Blvd., MS 140,Tallahassee, FL 32399. These plans are reviewed by Division staff and, if there are no concerns by ARC members, approved through a delegation of authority from the Governor and Cabinet sitting as the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund after the two-week review period on the Division web site. A letter will be sent to the lessee to document the approval of the plan.

For questions, please contact Ms. Marianne Gengenbach.

How well are state-owned conservation lands being managed?

The Office of Environmental Services within the Division of State Lands coordinates the review of state-owned conservation lands by establishing teams of experts from state agencies and the general public that evaluate management practices on state lands.

Each park, forest or management area has a management plan describing the resources and recreational activities. Team members review each site plan to see if it adequately addresses management needs. The team also visits each site to evaluate whether the property is being managed for the purposes of acquisition and in accordance with the approved management plan.

The Office of Environmental Services compiles the team members' responses and prepares a report for each site reviewed. The Acquisition and Restoration Council and the Board of Trustees receive the review team reports and recommend management changes to improve resource protection or recreation opportunities.

Land Management Report Card: After conducting 338 reviews on more than 147 sites containing more than two million acres of state-owned land during the past 13 years, the land management review teams have found that:

• 98 percent of the sites evaluated are managed appropriately.
• more than 72 percent of the managers are doing an exceptional job of restoring natural areas; and
• nearly 30 percent have an excellent prescribed burning program.

Most of the state’s conservation lands are managed by the following state agencies:
Florida Forest Service
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)
DEP's Division of Recreation and Parks (DRP)
DEP's Office of Greenways and Trails (OGT)
DEP's Office of Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas (CAMA)

In addition, Florida’s five water management districts collectively own more than 1.5 million acres, which are managed to protect drinking water supplies as well as provide outdoor recreation opportunities.
Northwest Florida Water Management District (NWFWMD)
South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD)
Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD)
St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD)
Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD)