Governor and Cabinet Approve Funding for Conservation Florida to Protect 1,500 Acres in Highlands County
Photo by Lauren Yoho/Wildpath
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, U.S. Air Force, and Conservation Florida move ranchland closer to permanent conservation
LAKE PLACID, Fla. (Feb. 24, 2026) — Today, the Governor and Florida Cabinet approved $6.1 million in funding for Conservation Florida’s Square One Ranch Project which will permanently conserve 1,500 acres of working ranchland in Highlands County through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP).
The project, known as Square One Ranch, is a family-owned working cattle ranch within the Florida Wildlife Corridor that provides safe haven for native wildlife like the Florida black bear, crested caracara, and wood stork.
Protecting Square One Ranch means preserving agricultural productivity while also protecting wildlife and vast, connected landscapes.
Cattle photo by Lauren Yoho/Wildpath, additional photos by Conservation Florida team
The purchase of the $6.1 million conservation easement is funded through a powerful state and federal partnership: $4.1 million to be provided by RFLPP and $2 million from the United States Air Force (USAF) Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) program. Square One Ranch lies within the federally designated Avon Park Sentinel Landscape, where conservation directly supports military mission readiness at Avon Park Air Force Range.
Conservation Florida, a nonprofit land conservancy that protects land statewide, is working alongside the Hinton family to move Square One Ranch through the conservation approval process.
Owl photo by Lauren Yoho/Wildpath, additional photos by Conservation Florida team
“The funding of Square One Ranch represents the power of partnership in action,” said Conservation Florida CEO Traci Deen. “When landowners, state leaders, federal partners, and conservation organizations come together around a shared vision, we can accomplish extraordinary things for Florida. We are deeply grateful to the Governor, the Florida Cabinet, and our legislative leaders for continuing to prioritize land conservation. Their leadership makes it possible to protect working ranches like Square One. These lands preserve our agricultural heritage, keep our drinking water clean, strengthen national defense, and provide room for wildlife to roam.”
Conservation Florida began working to protect Square One Ranch in 2023 when it partnered with landowner Daphne Hinton. Square One Ranch was identified as a critical missing link in Florida Wildlife Corridor, located just one mile east of Fisheating Creek.
Map of Square One Ranch in Highlands County
“The funding of Square One Ranch represents the power of partnership in action.
When landowners, state leaders, federal partners, and conservation organizations come together around a shared vision, we can accomplish extraordinary things for Florida.”
Once conserved, these 1,500 acres will ensure connection to thousands of protected acres in Highlands County, strengthening a larger system of private and public conservation lands, including the adjacent property AP Ranch, another working cattle operation conserved by Conservation Florida in 2024.
Connectivity is crucial for wildlife like the critically endangered Florida panther, allowing the felines room to roam, safe from busy highways. With only 200 Florida panthers left in the wild, every acre counts.
According to telemetry data from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Square One Ranch provides exactly that. The endangered cats have been documented prowling through this corridor freely and safely.
By working to conserve Square One Ranch, Conservation Florida continues to demonstrate that supporting agriculture and protecting wild places go hand in hand.
To learn more, click here, and join us in protecting these special places by becoming a supporter here.
For more information, contact:
Sarah Shepard, Communications Director
About Conservation Florida:
Conservation Florida is an accredited, nonprofit land conservancy dedicated to conserving the Sunshine State’s water, wildlife, wild places — the places that make Florida home. Since its founding in 1999, Conservation Florida has saved roughly 45,000 acres, serving all 67 counties in Florida, by prioritizing strategic and evidence-based land protection, education, and advocacy.