FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 2, 2014
STATE LAND SALE GARNERS MORE THAN $15 MILLION FOR CONSERVATION PURCHASES
~State closes on former A.G. Holley property in Palm Beach County~
TALLAHASSEE – Today, the Florida Department of
Environmental Protection’s Division of State Lands closed on the sale of A.G.
Holley. The approximately 79.91-acre
parcel of improved state-owned non-conservation land was the site of a former state hospital, which closed in 2012. Governor
Scott and the Board of Trustees voted to approve the sale of this property on
March 6, 2014, to Southeast Legacy Investments, LLC for $15.6
million.
“The closing of the A.G. Holley
sale is a significant achievement in our endeavor to purchase high-priority
conservation land,” said DEP Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard Jr. “The substantial
revenue coming from this sale alone will allow the department to fund crucial
Florida Forever projects.”
The department is in the
process of selling many state-owned, surplus, non-conservation lands to
increase the budget for future purchases of environmentally sensitive
conservation lands. The 2014-2015 Florida Legislature gave DEP spending
authority to utilize up to $40 million of the proceeds of non-conservation
land sales to acquire valuable land needed for conservation and public
recreation.
“It is exciting to see this sale come to fruition knowing how the sale of non-conservation lands will benefit Florida’s precious resources and will assist the town of Lantana in developing a new public sports complex,” said Kelley Boree, director of DEP’s Division of State Lands. “This closing, along with additional imminent sales, will amplify our ability to acquire environmentally sensitive lands.”
Multiple land sales are
anticipated to close over the next several months for a total of approximately $43 million. Approximately $22 million will be collected from the sale of four correctional institutes located
in Hendry, Broward, Hillsborough and Palm Beach counties. The facilities were closed
due to correctional institute consolidations.
“I am delighted to know that the sale of the A.G. Holley property will be used to preserve Florida’s natural beauty as well as promote physical activity with a new sports complex,” said State Surgeon General and Secretary of Health Dr. John Armstrong. “This milestone demonstrates the collaboration and responsiveness of partners across our state who are committed to the health of Florida’s families and the preservation of our environment.”
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