There’s nothing on the SRWMD agendas for Tuesday, April 8, 2025, about the proposal last month for a swap of the back of the SRWMD Ellaville Tract for Riverview Farms on the Withlacoochee River. Presumably negotiations are still in process. See the previous post for a petition against the swap and other things you can do:
https://wwals.net/?p=67339

But this month’s Lands Committee Agenda contains examples:

• Of the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) asking the Florida Department of Environmental Proteciton (FDEP) for springs acquisition funds (as they could do to buy Riverview Farms instead of swapping for it).

  This Avalon Woodlands Ravines is in Jefferson County in the Aucilla River watershed for a conservation easement with Tall Timbers Research, Inc., who would conduct all easement monitoring and compliance.

• Of declaring SRWMD land surplus (as they already did years ago for the back of the Ellaville Tract).

  This Turkey Island Tract is in Levy County near the Suwannee River, because “The parcel is isolated from the larger tract, with no adjacency to District lands and is located within a residential neighborhood.”

Collage, SRWMD Lands Committee 2025-04-08

Let’s concentrate on a proposal to transfer several SRWMD parks to a county: “5. Intergovernmental Agreement for Conveyance of Suwannee Springs Park, Falmouth Spring Park, and Telford Spring Park to Suwannee County,” all on or near the Suwannee River.

Why? SRWMD staff thinks these parks are too developed and intesively used for SRWMD’s passive parks model, and they would fit Suwannee County better.

And: “An estimated $35,000 will be saved per year in management expenses by conveying the properties to the county.”

This is the same Suwannee County that sold off the site of Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park to what has become perhaps the most intensively used private park in the county, just downstream and across US 129 from Suwannee Springs Park. So I wonder what Suwannee County wants to do with these three parks. The proposal does say transference would include a deed restriction that public access must be maintained.

An estimated $35,000 will be saved per year in management expenses by conveying the properties to the county.
PDF

SUWANNEE RIVER WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT

MEMORANDUM

TO: Lands Committee

FROM: Katelyn Potter, Director, Division of Outreach and Operations

THRU: Hugh Thomas, Executive Director

DATE: March 15, 2025

RE: Interlocal Agreement for Conveyance of Suwannee Springs Park, Falmouth Spring Park, and Telford Spring Park to Suwannee County

RECOMMENDATION

Authorize negotiations for the conveyance of Suwannee Springs Park, Falmouth Spring Park, and Telford Spring Park to Suwannee County.

BACKGROUND

In 2024, the District began discussions with Suwannee County regarding a potential conveyance of the District’s Suwannee Springs Park, Falmouth Springs Park, and Telford Springs Park parcels located in Suwannee County.

These parks are considered featured sites and receive a significant amount of public use. The sites contain infrastructure such as paved entrances and parking lots, picnic tables, boardwalks, kiosks and portalets The District supports a passive recreation approach on its lands. These sites, which are developed and heavily used, are more consistent with the goals of the county. An estimated $35,000 will be saved per year in management expenses by conveying the properties to the county.

The tracts consist of three parcels totaling 31.42 +/- acres in Suwannee County. Only the property necessary to operate the parks will be conveyed. All properties will be conveyed with a restrictive deed that requires the land be maintained for public access and a reverter that if such use changes, the property will be returned to the District.

Tract	Parcel Number	Acquisition Date	Funding Source	Acreage
Falmouth Springs Park	3201S12E09764000000	March 1993	P-2000	9.28 +/- acres
Suwannee Springs Park	1701S14E01751000000	August 1992	Save Our Rivers	14.34 +/- acres
Telford Spring Park	2504S11E12063000000	July 2022	Springs Grant Funds	7.8 +/- acres

If the parcels are approved for surplus and conveyance, the District will begin negotiations for an interlocal agreement for conveyance, including the management plan and any special conditions. Final conveyance is subject to Governing Board approval.

Maps of the proposed surplus properties are attached.

KCP/ao

Attachments

18

A copy of this SRWMD Lands Committee agenda is also on the WWALS website. Images of each page are below.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

April-2025-Lands-Package-FINAL

LANDS COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA
PDF

Avalon Woodland Ravines Conservation Easement, Jefferson County

Authorize Executive Director to submit the Springs funding project application for the acquisition of a conservation easement on a 5,495 acre +/- parcel of real property located in Jefferson County to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for an amount not to exceed $1,240,000.
PDF

The landowner is a willing seller and is supportive of the District being the conservation easement owner.
PDF

Avalon Woodland Ravines SUWANNEE TRIAGE ANALYSIS
PDF

Location Map: Avalon Woodland Ravines
PDF

Map: Surface Water Protection, Avalon Woodland Ravines
PDF

Map: Springs Protection, Avalon Woodland Ravines
PDF

Map: Floodplain Protection, Avalon Woodland Ravines
PDF

Map: LIDAR, Avalon Woodland Ravines
PDF

Declaration of a Surplus Lot Within the Turkey Island Tract, Levy County

Declare as surplus a lot within the Turkey Island Tract consisting of 0.34 acres +/- located in Levy County….
PDF

Turkey Island (Barton) SUWANNEE TRIAGE ANALYSIS
PDF

Location Map: Turkey Island (Barton)
PDF

Map: Surface Water Protection, Turkey Island (Barton)
PDF

Map: Springs Protection, Turkey Island (Barton)
PDF

Map: Floodplains Protection, Turkey Island (Barton)
PDF

Map: LIDAR, Turkey Island (Barton)
PDF

Map: Adjacancy, Turkey Island (Barton)
PDF

Interlocal Agreement for Conveyance of Suwannee Springs Park, Falmouth Spring Park, and Telford Spring Park to Suwannee County

An estimated $35,000 will be saved per year in management expenses by conveying the properties to the county.
PDF

SSP

Suwannee Springs Park, SUWANNEE TRIAGE ANALYSIS
PDF

Location Map: Suwannee Springs Park
PDF

Map: Surface Water Protection, Suwannee Springs Park
PDF

Map: Springs Protection, Suwannee Springs Park
PDF

Map: Floodplain Protection, Suwannee Springs Park
PDF

Map: LIDAR, Suwannee Springs Park
PDF

FSP

Falmouth Spring Park, SUWANNEE TRIAGE ANALYSIS
PDF

Location Map: Falmouth Spring Park
PDF

Map: Surface Water Protection, Falmouth Spring Park
PDF

Map: Springs Protection, Falmouth Spring Park
PDF

Map: Floodplain Protection, Falmouth Spring Park
PDF

Map: LIDAR, Falmouth Spring Park
PDF

TSP

Telford Spring Park, SUWANNEE TRIAGE ANALYSIS
PDF

Location Map: Telford Spring Park
PDF

Map: Surface Water Protection, Telford Spring Park
PDF

Map: Springs Protection, Telford Spring Park
PDF

Map: Floodplain Protection, Telford Spring Park
PDF

Map: LIDAR, Telford Spring Park
PDF

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

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