The Florida Department of Environmental Protections Division of State Lands closed Tuesday on the sale of a nearly 80-acre improved, state-owned land parcel in Palm Beach County.
The A.G. Holley parcel is nonconservation land, site of a state hospital that closed in 2012. Gov. Rick Scott and the board of trustees voted to approve the sale of the Holley property on March 6, to Southeast Legacy Investments LLC for $15.6 million.
In a written statement issued at lunchtime Tuesday, DEP Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard Jr. said, The closing of the A.G. Holley sale is a significant achievement in our endeavor to purchase high-priority conservation land. The substantial revenue coming from this sale alone will allow the department to fund crucial Florida Forever projects.
The department is in the process of selling many state-owned, surplus, nonconservation lands to increase the budget for future purchases of environmentally sensitive conservation lands.
The 2014-2015 Florida Legislature gave DEP spending authority to utilize up to $40 million of the proceeds of nonconservation land sales to acquire valuable land needed for conservation and public recreation.
It is exciting to see this sale come to fruition knowing how the sale of nonconservation lands will benefit Floridas precious resources and will assist the town of Lantana in developing a new public sports complex, said Kelley Boree, director of DEPs Division of State Lands. This closing, along with additional imminent sales, will amplify our ability to acquire environmentally sensitive lands.
Multiple land sales are anticipated to close over the next several months for a total of approximately $43 million.
Approximately $22 million will be collected from the sale of four correctional institutes located in Hendry, Broward, Hillsborough and Palm Beach counties. The facilities were closed due to correctional institute consolidations.
I am delighted to know that the sale of the A.G. Holley property will be used to preserve Floridas natural beauty as well as promote physical activity with a new sports complex, said State Surgeon General and Secretary of Health Dr. John Armstrong. This milestone demonstrates the collaboration and responsiveness of partners across our state who are committed to the health of Floridas families and the preservation of our environment.
