The Department of Environmental Protection is considering selling four small parcels at three state parks in Northwest Florida.
The local parcels are among 67 statewide being considered for sale in order to raise money to buy other properties needed for conservation purposes, according to the DEP.
Two parcels are at Eden Gardens State Park in Point Washington in South Walton County. One is 3.5 acres outside the main portion of the park. The second is a 0.4-acre crescent-shaped site.
Grayton Beach State Park in South Walton has a 0.8-acre parcel up for possible sale. Like the larger property at Eden Gardens, the triangular piece of land sits outside of the main portion of the park.
See photos of Grayton Beach State Park. >>
See maps of the affected tracts. >>
See a list of state parks around the state similarly affected. >>
A 4.8-acre property at the Blackwater Heritage State Trail in Santa Rosa County also will be assessed for possible sale.
The DEP has scheduled two webinars to get input on an assessment of all properties being considered for sale. The assessment allowed the department to rank the parcels based on their conservation value.
The assessment was prompted earlier this year when the Legislature appropriated funds for Florida Forever. The Legislature authorized an additional $50 million in spending authority, funded with the sale of state-owned lands no longer needed for conservation purposes, according to DEP.
The legislation required the DEP to develop a process to determine which properties are no longer needed.
The funds raised from selling the parcels will go to buying properties with greater need for conservation, such as to protect springs, water sources and military installations.
The webinars will present the process used to assess the properties up for sale and the result of the assessments. The public also can comment on the process and results.
CHECK IT OUT: The Florida Department of Protection will host two webinars to explain the process of ranking state-owned properties for possible sale. They will be from 6 to 8 p.m. today and from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at www.dep.state.fl.us.
