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TALLAHASSEE – Governor Jeb Bush and the Florida
Cabinet today approved the purchase of 184 acres in
Northeast Florida, one of the fastest growing areas of
the state. The three parcels, located in Duval County,
will be acquired as part of the Pumpkin Hill Creek
Florida Forever project.
“This acquisition will preserve the water quality of
the Nassau and St. Johns River and their fringing
marshes, as well as protect wildlife,” said Department
of Environmental Protection Secretary Colleen M.
Castille. “By working with local partners like the City
of Jacksonville, we can conserve
environmentally-sensitive areas in one of the fastest
developing regions of the state.”
Purchased for $481,500.00, the three properties will
be obtained from the City of Jacksonville for 45 percent
of their approved value. One of the parcels approved
today will be managed by the City as a trailhead for the
William F. Sheffield Regional Park, and the other two
parcels will be managed by DEP’s Division of Recreation
and Parks as an addition to the Pumpkin Hill Creek
Preserve State Park. With today’s vote, nearly 4,350
acres of the Pumpkin Hill Creek Florida Forever project
are in public ownership.
The Pumpkin Hill Creek Florida Forever project
protects one of the larger natural uplands left in the
county, helping to maintain the water quality of the
Nassau and St. Johns Rivers and protect the upland
buffer to the Nassau River—St. Johns River Marshes
Aquatic Preserve, an Outstanding Florida Water that is
the foundation of an important fishery.
The project provides habitat for several rare species
and contains two colonial wading bird rookeries, one of
which is used by the federally endangered wood stork.
Manatees frequent both the St. Johns and Nassau Rivers
and move into tidal creeks, such as Hill Creek and
Clapboard Creek, adjacent to the project. Fourteen
archaeological sites are known from the project area,
including the ruins of the early 19th century
Fitzpatrick Plantation house.
The 10-year, $3 billion Florida Forever program
established by Governor Bush and the Florida Legislature
conserves environmentally sensitive land, restores
waterways and preserves important cultural and
historical resources. For more information, visit
www.floridaforever.org.
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