Alachua Conservation Trust receives $25M from USDA

Lake to Lagoon area.
Lake to Lagoon area.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded $25 million to the Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT) to support the Lake to Lagoon conversation program in partnership with Volusia, Lake and Flagler counties.  

ACT is spearheading the Lake to Lagoon partnership, which includes state and federal agencies, local government, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions and private stakeholders. Volusia County is the largest contributor, with significant commitments from the county’s Volusia Forever program 

The Lake to Lagoon is a low-lying region of East Central Florida bounded by large interior lakes and rivers and the Mosquito and Indian River lagoons along the Atlantic Coast.   

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The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) partner organizations bring over $25 million in match contributions to this five-year program, for a combined total commitment of over $50 million.  

“We are thrilled to receive this RCPP award,” said ACT Executive Director Tom Kay in a press release. “As one of Florida’s fastest growing areas, the Lake to Lagoon region will benefit from expanded conservation efforts for land and resource protection.” 

This is the third RCPP award granted to ACT and builds on existing partnership projects elsewhere in North Central Florida. In August 2022, the ACT’s Forest to Gulf project received an RCPP award.  

“The RCPP program is a powerful tool for bringing together multiple partners in the public and private sector to conserve sensitive agricultural lands in Florida,” said Walter Albarran, acting State Conservationist in Florida for USDA NRCS in a press release. “As a recipient of previous RCPP awards, ACT is well positioned to work with its partners to successfully implement climate smart conservation and land management activities that will bolster climate resiliency in the region.” 

The RCPP program will start in 2024 and bring new and expanded conservation resources to the Lake to Lagoon region through 2029. 

Lake to Lagoon conservation project map.
Courtesy of ACT Lake to Lagoon conservation project map.

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Mike

I have to wonder how much it cost Florida to receive this ‘award’ (actually a return of our tax dollars). Any time there is a ‘middle-man’ in a system, you can be certain they take a cut of the funds.

And then there are the other ‘middle-men’ who make careers of politics so that they can influence the federal agencies who handle returning those tax dollars in award programs. That’s a very expensive circle that our tax dollars take just to go from our paychecks to tax collectors to agencies and back to the regional governments and then finally back to our local governments.

Being a ‘middle-man’ for tax dollars is a lucrative job. And how is it proven to be necessary or useful?