complete agenda - Florida Department of Environmental Protection

ITEM 6:
REQUEST: Consideration to ensure that a 2.08-acre road access easement within
Hilochee Wildlife Management Area is consistent with the Incompatible Use of Natural
Resource Lands Policy.
COUNTY: Polk
APPLICANT: Highland Cassidy, LLC
LOCATION: Hilochee Wildlife Management Area
Section 24, Township 26 South, Range 25 East
CONSIDERATION: Appraised value of easement to be deposited into Internal Improvement
Trust Fund. Also, as net positive benefit compensation, acceptance of 81.74 acres of wetlands
within the Green Swamp Conservation Area as an addition to Hilochee Wildlife Management
Area (Hilochee).
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DSL STAFF REMARKS: Highland Cassidy, LLC (Applicant), has submitted an application for
a road access easement over 2.08-acres of state-owned conservation lands within Hilochee
located in Polk County (County). The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
(FFWCC) actively manages Hilochee under Board of Trustees’ Lease No. 4066. FFWCC
reviewed the application and submitted a letter dated May 26, 2010, requesting several
conditions of approval. The County’s Deputy County Manager submitted a letter of support
dated January 9, 2009. Also, Samuel K. Johnson, Chairman, North Ridge Community
Redevelopment Area Board, submitted a letter of support dated June 4, 2009. DSL has
received one letter of opposition from Marian Ryan, Sierra Club Florida, and a notice was
mailed out to all property owners within 500-feet of the proposed easement the first week of
October.
The proposed access road would be a new connector road between Homerun Boulevard, an
existing four-lane road, at its western terminus and the area to the southeast. Applicant
proposes to build the access road to improve land access to their proposed upland industrial
development. Upon the development and completion of the road, they plan to offer the road to
the County. Once the County accepts the roadway dedication, the access road will become a
public road at that time while providing a public benefit.
The proposed easement is located on “natural resource lands” as defined in the Board of
Trustees’ Incompatible Use of Natural Resource Lands Policy (IUP) approved on August 9,
1988, and is subject to the IUP and review by the Acquisition and Restoration Council (ARC).
Council review is requested to ensure compliance with the four conditions of the IUP.
Additionally, following the direction of current Council members, DSL staff further directed the
applicant to submit an “Alternative Analysis Report” which is attached as backup and which will
be discussed in Item No. 3 below.
Approval of the proposed easement requires DSL to submit a negative response memo to the
Board of Trustees (Governor and Cabinet).
1. Public Interest: The County is constructing a series of new connector roads within
the North Ridge Community Redevelopment Area as part of an effort to improve land
access. The construction of the proposed road would be consistent with this effort