Officials in Ocala are discussing farm land preservation and its importance to Marion County.
Leaders with Conservation Florida and Horse Farms Forever are taking part in the speaker series Tuesday night in hopes of sparking debate about land conservation.
CEO and president of Conservation Florida, Traci Deen, said hundreds of people are moving to Florida every day -- but it’s taking away from the farmland to add more developments to accommodate the growth.
She said the amount of green space in Florida is disappearing at a rapid rate.
Holding conversations like this one, Deen said, she’s hoping people leave with more knowledge about the land, and why it’s so important -- not just to Marion County, but the entire state.
“That includes our agricultural lands, our horse farms, and places we just drive by them every single day, they’re disappearing,” Deen said. “So it is really important that we look for solutions, and land conservation is a great one.”
Florida’s commissioner of agriculture, Wilton Simpson, is scheduled to speak at Tuesday night’s event.
Organizers said Simpson secured millions of dollars in funding to protect farm land and water resources.
Source - https://www.wcjb.com
