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Editorial: Cabinet preserves land at a fair price

 
Published Oct. 2, 2015

Attorney General Pam Bondi did the right thing this week by switching her vote and siding with the rest of the Cabinet to preserve one of the last big Central Florida ranches. The $4.1 million price for a conservation easement to protect 1,300 acres from development is reasonable, and this is an opportunity that may not have come around again. Gov. Rick Scott opposed the deal and claimed the price was too high, but his objections are a larger reflection of his lack of commitment to preserving land.

The trend in protecting undeveloped land has moved toward using public money to buy conservation easements, which restrict development and are less expensive than buying property outright. This easement was for the Kilbee Ranch in Seminole County north of Orlando, which is being hemmed in by development. The negotiated price was less than two appraisals, but Scott opposed the deal because the price was more than 90 percent of the lowest appraisal.

Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam correctly called Scott's line unrealistic and said state policy is to pay 90 percent or less than the highest appraisal. This easement easily met that requirement. Bondi initially sided with Scott but changed her vote after hearing a plea from Putnam and an explanation of the appraisal process. Bondi, Putnam and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater acted in the best interests of taxpayers by preserving undeveloped land at a fair price. The governor should take note.