Arapaho Citrus Management Rural Lands Preservation

Floridas Rural Lands Preservation

Tools:

The benefits of alternative planning:

Less driving = lower cost of living, fewer emissions
Higher quality of life
Permanent enhancement of agriculture and natural systems at little or no cost to taxpayers
Lower land taxes

These are short lists -- each has many more possible components. However, the direction is

clear --

we need to

do things differently, and there are ways to move forward that lead to

positive outcomes.

The CSTC was a committee organized by Sen. Ken Pruitt to identify the ways to achieve

sustainable

development. After meeting for almost two years, the Committee issued a report

that can be found

. In the report, the Rural Lands Subcommittee felt

that

the

three things must

happen in order

for

agriculture to be a permanent landscape

component.

The combination of expectation of future profits and the sale of development
rights must yield an economic value to farmers that is equal to or greater than
selling the land outright for development.

It seems that there will be a "demographic bulge" as Baby Boomers leave cities over the next 10

years. The number

of people aged 55 to 75 in rural areas will double over that period over what

would occur without the outmigration from

cities - 30% vs 15% historically. The Internet will allow

people more mobility, so more will choose the open space,

more affordable housing, and slower pace

of the countryside. The

rise

in population in rural areas will be close to 6

million from 2000 to 2020.

If you couple that with the trend of people moving southward, the conclusion would be that

settlement in the

countryside of sun belt states, with Florida leading the way, will increase. It's not

over because of the recession and

housing crisis -- just delayed a bit. Given this prediction, we have

no choice but to plan accordingly.