In one of the most significant coastal land purchases in more than a decade, the Florida Cabinet approved a 17,080-acre, $43 million acquisition within the Dickerson Bay/ Bald Point Florida Forever project from The Nature Conservancy. The acquisition of this property, also known as The Bluffs, provides a permanent means of protecting and restoring the estuaries that recreational and commercial fishers rely on for finfish and shellfish species that are the economic lifeblood of the region.
The purchase will conserve over two miles of frontage on the Gulf of Mexico along Alligator Harbor, six miles of frontage on Ochlockonee Bay, and eight and a half miles of frontage on the Ochlockonee River. It also protects the eastern end of the Crooked River, which also connects to Apalachicola Bay. Several endangered and protected species utilize wetlands, shorelines and uplands that are part of The Bluffs, including Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles, wood storks, bald eagles, fox squirrels and gopher tortoises.
“The property holds significant environmental resources and economic development opportunities for citizens of Florida, and is greatly supportive of a thriving and growing aquaculture industry in Wakulla and Franklin Counties,” said Cainnon Greg of the Florida Shellfish Aquaculture Association. “Public ownership and protection of the Dickerson Bay/Bald Point property will help ensure that the waters of the Apalachee Bay and Apalachicola Bay will continue to be of a quality to provide robust fisheries for the economic foundation of the region.”
Paul J. Thorpe, Deputy Director of the Northwest Florida Water Management District’s Resource Management Division, added, “The proposed acquisition of The Bluffs of St. Teresa property will help protect water quality and water resources, and it will protect floodplain functions – an important factor in minimizing future flood risk and protecting wetlands and natural hydrology.”
Part of the property will be managed by the Florida Forest Service as an addition to Tate’s Hell State Forest, and another part will be managed by DEP’s Division of Recreation and Parks as an addition to Bald Point State Park. Click here to learn more.
