Two ranches with 4.1 miles of frontage on the Peace River were approved for conservation easements Tuesday by the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board.
The ranches are adjacent and stretch from southern Hardee County to northern DeSoto County.
One is the C & D Ranch, which is proposed for 623.7-acre easement on property comprised of 48 percent wetlands and 52 percent uplands. Estimated purchase price is $3.6 million.
The other is the Rock Bend Ranch, which involves a 646.8-acre easement. It consists of 60 percent wetlands and 40 percent uplands. Estimated purchase price is $3.8 million.
These are the latest in a series of purchases intended to protect land along the Peace River and its tributaries.
The Peace River winds for 105 miles between Bartow in Polk County and Charlotte Harbor in Charlotte County and is an important regional corridor for wildlife ranging from migratory songbirds to black bears and Florida panthers.
It also provides water supplies to coastal counties and the Charlotte Harbor estuary is important to marine fisheries in the region.

Sierra Club Florida is urging voters to vote no on Amendment 3, a constitutional amendment that will be on the November general election ballot.
The amendment, which the Florida Legislature placed on the ballot with little discussion or analysis, proposes to increase the maximum homestead exemption on owner-occupied homes from $50,000 to $250,000 and to reduce increases in the taxable value of other property.
The impact on the budgets for cities, counties, water management districts and other special districts would amount to billions of dollars annually.
“The consequences of this amendment would be devastating,” a Sierra press release said.
The effects within the area covered by the Ancient Islands Group, approval of the amendment would reduce funding for the voter-approved Polk County Environmental Lands program by $2.8 million–a 22 percent reduction– and cut funding for Polk County’s stormwater program that funds pollution-reduction projects by $675,100. a 20 percent reduction in the first two years alone, according to preliminary budget predictions.
Additionally, the prospects of the amendment’s passage led the Highlands County Commission to vote 3-2 in June not to place an environmental lands tax referendum on this year’s ballot, ending a two-year campaign to put the measure to a vote.
In addition, Sierra Club Florida argues the funding cuts the passage of the amendment would bring will handicap local governments ‘ ability to fund projects needed to deal with the effects of climate change.
Additionally, although this amendment has been promoted as cost-savings measure for residents, Sierra argues it will simply lead to imposition of fees instead, which has already happened in some jurisdictions and often amount to more than many residents now pay in property taxes.