Residents trek to Volusia to fight for Yarborough Ranch

Some Seminole County residents crowded the Volusia County Commission Board Room on Oct. 5 as the state accepted public testimony about adding the Yarborough Ranch and Ford Marsh to the Florida Forever Project.

The public hearing was required under Florida statute so the Acquisition and Restoration Council (ARC) could hear comments for, or against, new Florida Forever proposals before the final vote takes place this week in Tallahassee. According to the statute, these meetings must be held in “areas of the state where major portions of such land are situated.”

Seminole County has previously expressed interest in purchasing the Yarborough property with the state to preserve the rural boundary, protect wildlife, and prevent 300 houses from being built on the natural lands. During the Oct. 5 hearing, all 14 speakers were in favor of adding the properties to the project.

“This is the single greatest opportunity for us to positively influence future generations’ opportunity, to experience raw land and to allow wildlife to traverse through the corridor as has been identified as this is one of the most important properties in terms of allowing that,” said Andria Herr, Seminole County Commission vice chair.

About Florida Forever

Florida Forever, “one of the largest public land acquisition programs in the United States,” aims to protect Florida’s natural and cultural heritage. The program intends to buy natural land around the state, including the Florida Wildlife Corridor, where much of the Yarborough Ranch stands.

To be selected for the Florida Forever project, an application is submitted and the ARC completes a vote based off of an initial review to determine which proposals move toward a full review. Following this second, more detailed review, ARC conducts a final vote. The projects that are selected to move forward will have project evaluation reports prepared and presented to the Council to see how the project’s goals line up with those of the Florida Forever.

The Florida Forever priority list is made by the ARC and approved by the Board of Trustees. When projects are put on this list, they become eligible by the State of Florida for acquisition.

According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, ARC received 12 new project proposals for the Florida Forever 2023 Cycle 2. On June 9, ARC voted to move all 12 toward the full review. The proposed properties are Lake Powell North, English Forest Preserve, Chunky Pond, Little Pine Ranch, Trailhead Blue Springs, Waccasassa Bay Headwaters, Ford Marsh, Yarborough Ranch, Welles Ranch, Deer Creek Ranch, Venus Project, and Myakka Ranch. 

Speakers’ Thoughts

Fourteen speakers came to the podium to share their thoughts in favor of adding the 1,361-acre Yarborough Ranch and 1,205-acre Ford Marsh to the Florida Forever Project. The speakers were residents and board members.

Resident Richard Creedon urged the Council to vote yes, as the Yarborough Ranch is the final piece of the “natural lands mosaic”, since its border properties are preserved lands.

“It is not too often that we get two bites from the same apple,” Creedon said. “But here we are with a chance to finally complete that mosaic.”

Resident Bren Newton brought a newspaper to the podium with an article about the area below Creek State Park and Volusia Forever. 

“The paper is dated November 1979, but it’s not out of date and the message is the same: Buy it,” Newton said.

Residents such as “local nature guy” Paul Redmond, were in favor of adding the properties to benefit wildlife.

“The purchase of Ford Marsh would also produce the benefit of leaving this area in a state to provide the important ecological service that wetlands provide in supporting various plants and wildlife, as well as helping to improve water quality and as a storm buffer. If future restoration is also done, these benefits, especially as an estuary, which is important for fisheries, will only increase,” Redmond said.

Herr acknowledged Seminole County’s high population density attributing toward the need to mass build more homes. However, she still backed the need to preserve the lands.

“We’ve been committed to this rural boundary for years at the citizens’ request and the government’s conviction,” Herr said. “The challenge is that with the number of people that are moving into the state, these precious lands are under assault every day. And the reality is that with the price of housing in today’s environment, that we are under pressure to add housing to the inventory so that people can afford to live and work in our communities.”

Others spoke against opening up the ranch property to development

“If it’s not preserved, it’s in great danger of being developed,” said Phyllis Hall, president and conservation chair for the Seminole Audubon Society. “Once it’s developed, it’s gone forever. So we urge you to add this vital property to Florida Forever and the wildlife corridor.”