Cottage Hill Forest No Longer For Sale

March 4, 2014

The Cottage Hill State Forest is no longer for sale.

State environmental officials have changed focus and won’t sell dozens of pieces of conservation land across the state to help raise money for the Florida Forever program because the idea fell short of a $50 million goal set by lawmakers,

The state agency announced the shift in policy late Friday after six months whittling a list of parcels — from among the state’s inventory of more than 3 million acres of publicly owned conservation land — to determine which could be sold without impacting overall environmentally sensitive sites.

In Escambia County, the state was looking to sell the Cottage Hill State Forest and 3.4 acres of the Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park. In Santa Rosa County, 4.8 acres of the Blackwater Heritage State Trail and a 20 acre track on Gillis Road were set for market.

http://www.northescambia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/foresaleforest.jpg“I’m thankful for the efforts of our staff, who conducted many public meetings and sought public comment to make this a transparent process,” Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Herschel Vinyard said in a release. “We will continue to assess our land, determine what should be sold and we are excited about the possibility of selling non-conservation land to fund conservation land purchases to protect our springs, water resources and buffer military bases.”

Manley Fuller, president of the Florida Wildlife Federation, praised the decision that he noted “ended up where it should have been all along.”

“One positive thing that has come out of this is that Floridians care deeply about our conservation lands, and this process has demonstrated clearly is that Florida’s public-conservation lands should remain in public hands for conservation and sustainable nature-based recreation,” Fuller responded in an email.

Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Patrick Gillespie said the new focus will be on selling unused prison, hospital and state buildings.

The first example of the new emphasis is A.G. Holley, a tuberculosis hospital closed by lawmakers in 2012 after six decades in operation.

Southeast Legacy Investments, a land development and construction company, has offered $15.6 million for 80 acres at the hospital site, according to the Cabinet meeting agenda. The sale has been recommended for approval by state staff.

Comments

7 Responses to “Cottage Hill Forest No Longer For Sale”

  1. perdido fisherman on March 5th, 2014 12:29 am

    So let me get this straight, it’s only Florida forever land until the state can get a significant paycheck for it, atleast that’s how i understand this to be, if i’m wrong someone please correct me.

    So the people in Florida State goverment do not really care about saving certain parts of this state in its natural state when there is a profit to be made, when is enough going to be enough? When will state goverment actually mean it when they say they want to preserve areas that are vital to wildlife or protecting vital waterways, including headwaters from developement or pollution. It seems to me they will sell anything if the price is right.

  2. Southern born on March 4th, 2014 1:01 pm

    To Southerner: If the gov’t did not own land we would not have the Grand Canyon. and other fine beautiful places to visit. Also the CHSFOREST was a donation it doesn’t cost them a thing to operate. Just land on the books.Fort Pickens cost an awful lot to maintain I agree with Jane keep it free for the wildlife they enjoy it better than we could ever do.

  3. CD on March 4th, 2014 11:20 am

    Yup, what xpeecee said!

  4. xpeecee on March 4th, 2014 8:27 am

    @ 429SCJ: The article did not say that the Cottage Hill land had been for sale for $50 million. It stated that the sale of all the land they wanted to sell came up short that much.

    “State environmental officials have changed focus and won’t sell dozens of pieces of conservation land across the state to help raise money for the Florida Forever program because the idea fell short of a $50 million goal set by lawmakers,”

  5. southerner on March 4th, 2014 8:02 am

    Sell it. The government shouldn’t be in the real estate business.

  6. Jane on March 4th, 2014 3:56 am

    Keep some of Florida land for the animals and the people…if you sell it you can’t get it back. They aren’t making more land.

  7. 429SCJ on March 4th, 2014 3:03 am

    Cottage Hill State Forest, $50,000,000.00 for that little patch!

    I want someone’s urine tested and I don’t mean with a rabbit.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News