More than 540 acres of farmland in Flagler and Putnam counties will be permanently preserved under a state program designed to protect agricultural operations from development pressures, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson announced Monday.
The property, known as Singleton Family Farms, is a multigenerational potato farm that also runs a small cattle operation. It will be protected through a rural lands protection easement under the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, which buys development rights from landowners while keeping farms in production.
“Protecting working farms like Singleton Family Farms ensures that Florida’s agricultural heritage remains strong,” said Simpson. “This easement supports a family that has invested generations into feeding our state, while also safeguarding critical land within the Florida Wildlife Corridor. It’s a win for agriculture, a win for conservation, and a win for Florida’s future.”
Singleton Family Farms contracts with Frito-Lay to produce chip potatoes and participates in the department’s Best Management Practices program, which promotes environmentally responsible farming. Its location within the Florida Wildlife Corridor adds conservation value by helping maintain natural habitat linkages.
The Rural and Family Lands Protection Program was created in 2001 in response to increasing development pressures on farmland. Since then, more than 212,600 acres have been permanently preserved, with more than 147,300 acres added under Simpson’s tenure. The commissioner has secured more than $700 million in state funding for the program since 2022, including $250 million in the current year’s budget.
