Objective 102.4

Monroe County shall maintain a Land Acquisition Master Plan containing strategies for securing funding and containing non-purchase options and strategies.

Policy 102.4.1

The Monroe County Land Acquisition Master Plan shall be maintained and implemented by the Monroe County Land Authority in cooperation with the Growth Management Division and other responsible federal and state agencies. Monroe County shall encourage the State to target the acquisition of Tier I designated lands within the state's acquisition boundaries. Monroe County shall encourage the federal government to target the acquisition of lands containing suitable habitat for species listed under the Endangered Species Act.

Policy 102.4.2

The Land Authority and the Growth Management Division shall identify the types of lands which shall be considered for acquisition. These shall include the following priorities for acquisition:

Priority One*

•  Lands designated as Tier I (Natural Areas)

•  Lower Keys marsh rabbit habitat and buffer area, as adopted with the Big Pine Key & No Name Key (BPK/NNK) Habitat Conservation Plan (Figure 2.2) and Incidental Take Permit

•  Lands containing known populations of federally-designated wildlife species

Priority Two*

•  Lands designated as Tier II (BPK/NNK)

•  Lands designated as Tier III-A

•  Lands designated as Tier III for the retirement of development rights & hurricane evacuation clearance times

•  Lower Keys marsh rabbit focus area & buffer (excluding BPK/NNK) (Permit Referral Process required by USFWS and FEMA)

•  Silver rice rat focus area & buffer (Permit Referral Process required by USFWS and FEMA)

Priority Three*

•  Lands designated as Tier III for employee and affordable housing

•  Lands with areas of deteriorated infrastructure where the cost of maintaining and/or repairing the infrastructure exceeds the value of private lands (developed or undeveloped)

•  Lands for potential recreational/park development & expansion (public access)

•  Lands within the FEMA "V" Zones (purchase parcels within V Zone to encourage growth away from more vulnerable areas) [see NOTE]

Priority Four*

•  Key Largo wood rat & cotton mouse buffer areas (Permit Referral Process required by USFWS and FEMA)

•  Adaptation action area or lands in more "interior" locations for transitioning public facilities & directing development [see NOTE]

•  Lands within the Coastal High Hazard Area (CHHA)

•  Lands subject to saltwater inundation under the assumption of 3 inches to and 7 inches by 2030 [see NOTE]

Criteria for the ranking of land acquisitions within the four priority areas shall include:

1)

Consideration of the carrying capacity of the natural and man-made systems in the Florida Keys to continually accommodate further development; including hurricane evacuation clearance times.

2)

The size and the location of the property and surrounding land uses, including management status (adjacent ownership, consolidation of parcels for management feasibility, maintenance costs, diversity of habitats, and the provision of habitat buffers).

3)

The habitat type on the property with preference given to:

a.

Hardwood hammock & pinelands (upland habitats)

b.

Undisturbed wetlands

c.

Disturbed wetlands

4)

Minimization of fragmentation of habitats (edge effect) and potential for successful restoration, if within a larger hammock area.

5)

Percent of land surrounding the property that is already under public ownership.

United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) required Monroe County to implement Permit Referral Process (PRP) to avoid impacts on federally listed (threatened or endangered) species. Focus and buffer areas are areas of potentially suitable habitat for nine federally protected species (Eastern indigo snake, Key deer, Key Largo cotton mouse, Key Largo woodrat, Key tree cactus, Lower Keys marsh rabbit, Schaus swallowtail butterfly, silver rice rat, and Stock Island tree snail), as defined within the Biological Opinion issued by FWS on April 30, 2010.

Adaptation action area means one or more areas that experience coastal flooding due to extreme high tides and storm surge, and that are vulnerable to the related impacts of rising sea levels for the purpose of prioritizing funding for infrastructure needs and adaptation planning.

The Coastal High-Hazard Area is the area below the elevation of the category 1 storm surge line as established by a Sea, Lake, and Overland Surges from Hurricanes (SLOSH) computerized storm surge model.

* Priorities will be reevaluated for recently federally listed species.

NOTE: It should be noted that the science examining the impacts of climate change and sea level rise is still evolving and the County may want to consider postponing the acquisition priorities on this issue until a future date.

Policy 102.4.3

Monroe County shall maintain and implement a land acquisition program in recognition of the critical need for the County to aggressively address the imbalance between development expectations of private property owners and the finite carrying capacity of the natural and man-made systems in the Florida Keys. Pursuant to Section 380.0552, F.S. and Rule 28-20.140, F.A.C., this policy recognizes the public safety concern of maintaining a maximum hurricane evacuation clearance time of 24 hours.

Policy 102.4.4

The Monroe County Land Acquisition Master Plan shall contain an acquisition financing plan which identifies sources of funding for acquisition of lands on the Priority List. Land acquisition will be a coordinated effort between the state and federal governments and the County. The County shall annually petition the state and federal government to accept primary responsibility for acquisition of Tier I, conservation and natural lands and lands containing species listed under the Endangered Species Act. Monroe County shall support the efforts of federal agencies, state agencies, and private non-profit conservation organizations, to acquire land for conservation purposes.

Policy 102.4.5

Lands acquired through the Monroe County Land Acquisition Program shall be managed to restore, preserve, and protect the conservation, recreation, safety, hazard reduction, density reduction and affordability purposes for which the lands were acquired. (See Recreation and Open Space Objective 1201.7 and related policies.)

Policy 102.4.6

Within one year of the adoption of the 2030 Comprehensive Plan, Monroe County, in cooperation with the Land Authority, shall create a program to provide a monetary incentive to private property owners to deed restrict their privately-owned adjacent, vacant parcels to restrict residential development on the vacant parcels.