SUBJECT
title
Approve Eighth Amendment to Encroachment Management Agreement Between United States of America and Conservation Florida and Adding Polk County agreement. (no fiscal impact)
body
DESCRIPTION
Polk County (COUNTY) has partnered with the Department of Defense (DOD) to acquire conservation lands and protect wildlife corridors, such as the South Lake Walk-in-Water conservation easements. DOD provides funding for conservation land acquisitions to local governments or nonprofits that are approved as an Eligible Entity. The COUNTY had an Encroachment Management Agreement with DOD, making the COUNTY an Eligible Entity. It was allowed to expire in 2018, because the COUNTY no longer had a dedicated source of funding for land acquisition. Since then, the 2022 Environmental Lands Referendum created a funding source to resume conservation land acquisitions. To be good fiscal stewards, the COUNTY looks for outside funding partners. For the COUNTY to be eligible for federal funding acquisition projects, through DOD, the COUNTY once again needs to be approved as an Eligible Entity. DOD has provided the Eighth Amendment to Encroachment Management Agreement, to add Polk County as an Eligible Entity.
The partnership between the Department of Defense and Polk County is beneficial to both parties. It allows for the purchase of either Full-fee or Less-than-Fee properties with a willing landowner, for conservation purposes and assists the military with management of the Military Influence Planning Areas (MIPA) within the Sentinel Landscape.
The MIPA boundaries are broken down into three sections and these areas may consist of day and night low level aircraft overflight, and military training noise during training exercises. The Sentinel Landscape is a coalition of federal agencies, state and local governments, and non-governmental organizations that work with willing landowners and land managers to advance sustainable land use practices around military installations and ranges. This partnership assists the COUNTY in establishing wilderness and wildlife corridors that protect our waters, working landscapes and wilderness areas.
Approval of this eighth amendment to the Encroachment Management Agreement declares Polk County as an Eligible Entity and will enable the COUNTY to apply for federal funding through DOD for conservation land acquisition projects.
RECOMMENDATION
Approve the Eighth Amendment to Encroachment Management Agreement between United States of America and Conservation Florida and Adding Polk County agreement to recognize Polk County as an Eligible Entity.
FISCAL IMPACT
No Fiscal Impact.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Tabitha Biehl
Land and Water Natural Areas Manager Parks and Natural Resources Division
(863) 534-7377
tabithabiehl@polk-county.net <mailto:tabithabiehl@polk-county.net>
Gaye Sharpe, Director
Parks and Natural Resources Division
(863) 534-7377
gayesharpe@polk-county.net <mailto:gayesharpe@polk-county.net>