Golf developer that once sought Florida forest land could add to it instead

Last summer, a luxury golf course developer was on the cusp of getting more than 300 acres of state forest land, which it hoped to use to expand its resort in Hernando County.

State officials, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, had granted early approval for the proposed land swap.

But about a year later, after public backlash prompted Cabot Citrus Farms to abandon the deal, both the developer and the state are poised to do a 180.

Cabot Citrus is now offering 340 acres of nearby forest for the state to buy for conservation — without requesting public lands in return. The new proposal was included in a public meeting agenda posted online Tuesday evening.

DeSantis, Attorney General James Uthmeier and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson are scheduled to discuss and vote on the purchase at the next Florida Cabinet meeting June 10.

The front entrance to Cabot Citrus Farms in Brooksville is seen on Sept. 10, 2024. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times (2024) ]

It’s not yet clear how much the state would pay for the land because it still needs to be appraised. But the proposal on the Cabinet agenda notes the price is “not to exceed approved value.”

If the Cabinet votes in favor next week, the head of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Alexis Lambert, would then have to approve the proposal. Cabot Citrus Farms could also disapprove of the state’s appraised value of their land and walk away from a potential sale.

Julie Wraithmell, executive director of Audubon Florida, said the group “is glad to see the state moving to purchase this land previously destined for development adjacent to the Withlacoochee State Forest.”

Related: Person posed as ‘60 Minutes’ producer to hunt for info on Florida land deal

In the agenda item, the state underscores the ecological significance of the Brooksville Ridge habitat that, just last year, it had considered swapping away.

The property “is within a landscape experiencing escalating pressure from expansion of nearby suburban population centers,” the proposal reads. Specifically, the property is under threat of development because it’s within an area slated for residential housing, according to the proposal.

Cabot Citrus Farms is the first American resort run by Cabot, a Canadian luxury golf course developer with courses in high-end locales like Bordeaux, France, and the Scottish Highlands. It’s built multimillion-dollar homes on its Hernando County resort.

The biological diversity of a Withlacoochee State Forest parcel adjacent to Cabot Citrus Farms is seen on Sept. 10, 2024, in Brooksville. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times (2024) ]Keep up with Tampa Bay’s top headlines

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The land the state would acquire from Cabot Citrus “supports some of the last large tracts of longleaf pine sandhills in Florida, unique forests of northern hardwood trees, and many archaeological sites,” the item reads.

Cabot Citrus and a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection did not immediately respond to emails requesting comment.

The proposal notes that rare and imperiled species that call the land home would see protection, including the Florida black bear, Eastern indigo snake, gopher tortoise and giant orchids that live in the fragile sandhill.

Eugene Kelly, left, and Tom St. Clair give a tour of a Withlacoochee State Forest parcel adjacent to Cabot Citrus Farms on Sept. 10, 2024, in Brooksville. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times (2024) ]

Eugene Kelly, president of the Florida Native Plant Society, said if the deal is finalized, he’d go from “consternation to celebration.”

A Brooksville local, he’s quite familiar with the Withlacoochee State Forest land the state had proposed trading away.

“I was really worried, because it appears that public lands are under full-scale attack,” Kelly said.

The land the state would acquire is home to the Brooksville Bellflower with radiant purple petals. Its habitat continues to shrink, and putting more land in public ownership is a crucial tool to ensure its protection, he said.

“It is great news, and I hope they approve it.”

The Tampa Bay Times launched the Environment Hub in 2025 to focus on some of Florida‘s most urgent and enduring challenges. You can contribute through our journalism fund by clicking here.