DEP SURPASSES GOAL TO SELL $40 MILLION IN LAND SALES TO BENEFIT CONSERVATION

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 16, 2014

CONTACT: DEP Press Office, 850-245-2112, DEPNews@dep.state.fl.us 

DEP SURPASSES GOAL TO SELL $40 MILLION IN LAND SALES TO BENEFIT CONSERVATION

~The department sold two correctional facilities to raise funds for conservation purchases~

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TALLAHASSEE- The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of State Lands has surpassed the goal of selling $40 million of non-conservation land to purchase new, valuable conservation lands. The division finalized the sale of two more state-owned surplus non-conservation lands on Monday, Sept. 15, increasing the budget for future purchases to $43,991,070. The move supports the vision of the 2014-2015 Legislature, which gave the department the authority to sell up to $40 million worth of non-conservation land. The department can now ask the legislature for authorization to spend the additional funds over $40 million. 

Since January 2014, the division has sold 12 state-owned non-conservation lands.

“Acquiring and managing conservation lands is a priority of the department,” said Division of State Lands Director Kelley Boree. “Our team has worked hard with other state agencies to identify and sell non-conservation lands that are no longer needed. This supports the priority and helps the state own and manage property efficiently.”

This week, the division sold the former 66-acre Broward County Correctional Institution for $13,519,470. The Board of Trustees acquired the property in December 1973 and subsequently granted a 99-year lease to Florida Department of Corrections (DOC) in May 1974. The property contains 40 buildings totaling 233,375 square feet.

Additionally, the division sold the former Hillsborough County Correctional Institution for $3,500,100. In July 2014, the sites of the former Hendry County Correctional Institution was sold for $3,750,000, and the Glades Correctional Institute and Work Camp in Belle Glade was sold for $1,224,000. These correctional facilities closed in 2012 as part of DOC’s statewide consolidation plan.

Earlier this month, the division sold the site of the former A.G. Holley State Hospital in Palm Beach County for $15,600,000. The 79.91-acre property ceased operations in 2012. In August 2014, two half-acre parcels were sold in the city of Miami for $4,700,000. A Florida Department of Transportation facility in Volusia County sold for $540,000. In June 2014, a half-acre parcel was sold in Monroe County for $33,000. Earlier in 2014, four additional properties sold for a total of $1,124,500.

To see a current list of state-owned surplus properties for sale, visit the department’s website here.