DEP’s Division of State Lands provides oversight for more than 11 million acres of state lands, including lakes, rivers and islands. These lands cleanse and restore the waters we drink and the air we breathe, and provide a home to numerous rare and endangered species.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Division of State Lands is Florida’s lead agency for environmental management and stewardship, serving as staff to the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund (Governor and Cabinet). As such, the Division’s role goes far beyond just acquiring lands for protection. It provides oversight for the management of activities on more than 11 million acres of public lands including lakes, rivers and islands. These public lands help assure all Florida’s residents and visitors have the opportunity to truly appreciate Florida’s unique landscapes.

Florida Forever is Florida’s conservation and recreation lands acquisition program, a blueprint for conserving our natural resources and renewing our commitment to conserve our natural and cultural heritage. It replaces Preservation 2000 (P2000), the largest acquisition program of its kind in the United States. With a total of 9.8 million acres of conservation land in Florida, more than 2.4 million acres were purchased under the Florida Forever and P2000 programs.

The Division of State Lands also assists landowners who want to sell land to the state, buy land from the state or gain access to public lands.