USDA Awards $25 Million for Lake to Lagoon Program

Posted On: November 14, 2023

The Lake to Lagoon regional conservation partnership program, which includes Volusia County as a key member, has been awarded $25 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conserve sensitive agricultural lands and implement conservation and land management activities that will bolster climate resiliency.

The Lake to Lagoon area includes the low-lying counties of Volusia, Lake, and Flagler, which are home to more than a million residents and a diversity of wildlife, wildlands, rural farms, and timberlands.

The Alachua Conservation Trust leads the Lake to Lagoon program in collaboration with Volusia County and Stetson University’s Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience. Volusia County is the largest contributor to the program, having provided $20 million in matching funds through the voter-approved Volusia Forever program.

Other member organizations are the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, St. Johns River Water Management District, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, North Florida Prescribed Burn Association, Friends of Wekiva, West Volusia Audubon, and the Riverside Conservancy.

“Through this innovative public-private partnership, Volusia County will be able to provide farmers, ranchers, and foresters with an alternative to selling their land for development and allow them to maintain it for agricultural production in perpetuity,” said Land Acquisition Manager Tim Telfer.

The program will begin in 2024 and run through 2029. For more information, contact Community Services Director Brad Burbaugh at 386-748-9120 or bburbaugh@volusia.org.