Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the District considering surplusing its lands?

The District’s Governing Board has directed staff to look at whether there is the potential to surplus any of our lands to increase the efficiency of our land resources program. This is one of several efforts currently underway to increase the operational efficiency of the water management district.

Are other water management districts surplusing their lands?

The Suwannee River Water Management District already has a surplus lands program. District staff has coordinated with Suwannee River staff to learn from their assessment process.

What types of lands will the District surplus?

Potential surplus properties are those that no longer meet the original acquisition purpose, or do not provide water resource benefits, such as flood control, recharge, water storage, water management, conservation and protection of water resources, water resource and water supply development, or preservation of wetlands, streams and lakes.

I’ve heard that the District is planning to sell off thousands of acres of lands. Is this true?

The District will be initiating a thoughtful, deliberate and science-based assessment process. This assessment is expected to identify only a small percentage of our lands for surplus.

How will the lands be assessed?

The Governing Board has appointed a Surplus Lands Subcommittee made up of five Governing Board members to provide guidance to District staff and review future staff recommendations. Staff is looking at a number of criteria to draft a process for identifying potential surplus parcels.

How many acres of the District’s lands will be assessed?

The District owns nearly 450,000 acres of land. The assessment will begin by looking at lands that are solely owned and managed by the District, which total more than 261,000 acres.

When will lands in my county be assessed?

The evaluation is expected to begin in January and will be conducted beginning with lands in the District’s southern region.

Are there any initial assessment results available at this time?

No, staff is still looking at a number of criteria to draft a process for identifying potential surplus parcels.

Who will decide which lands will be surplused?

The Surplus Lands Subcommittee will review the staff recommendations and then make its recommendations to the 13-member Governing Board. Ultimately, it will be up the Governing Board to make the final decisions.

Who will be eligible to purchase surplus lands?

There are no restrictions on who may purchase surplus lands.

How will the proceeds from the sale of surplus lands be used?

The use of proceeds from the sale of surplus lands will depend on which land-buying program the lands were originally purchased through (Save Our Rivers, Preservation 2000, Florida Forever.) For instance, Florida Forever proceeds may be used to pay down state bonds that were used to purchase the conservation lands or to purchase more conservation lands.

Is the District planning to buy additional conservation lands?

The District is not planning to purchase additional conservation lands at this time.

How can the public stay informed about the surplus lands assessment?

The District has developed a webpage at WaterMatters.org/SurplusLands to keep the public informed about the assessment. All upcoming meetings will be posted on the site.

Will the public have an opportunity to be involved in this process?

All discussions and decisions regarding surplus lands will take place in open public meetings. Four informational public meetings will be held throughout the region to explain the evaluation process. The meeting information is as follows:

• Lecanto: December 13, 2011, 6-8 p.m., Lecanto Government Building
• Bartow: December 14, 2011, 6-8 p.m., the District’s Bartow Service Office
• Tampa: January 10, 2012, 6-8 p.m., the District’s Tampa Service Office
• Sarasota: January 11, 2012, 6-8 p.m., the District’s Sarasota Service Office

All Surplus Lands Subcommittee and Governing Board meetings will also be open to the public. The next Surplus Lands Subcommittee meeting will be Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 10 a.m. at the District’s Sarasota Service Office.

Information about all upcoming meetings will be posted at WaterMatters.org/SurplusLands.

How can I submit comments to the District?

Anyone can submit comments to the District at WaterMatters.org/SurplusLands.