Preserve the Palm Beach County Agricultural Reserve

August 8, 2021

Agricultural Reserve Sign

The Agricultural Reserve (Ag Reserve) is a 20,923-acre farming region west of Boynton Beach and Delray Beach. In 1999, voters approved a $150,000,000 bond issue for the County Commissioners to purchase 2,400 acres of this area. Since 2000, more than 9,400 homes and hundreds of acres of commercial development have been built in the reserve, and that number will continue to increase if we don’t do something about it.

Over the years, the preserved land has been chipped away by votes of County Commissioners who are prioritizing development over agriculture and the natural environment.

How Is This happening?

Developers like GL homes, Bethesda West Hospital, and Medical Facility Holdings, LLC (Legent) are focused on changing development rules and putting pressure on agricultural lands, particularly in the Ag Reserve. They are working to change the rules of the Ag Reserve to allow for more development. The biggest attack is on the preserve requirement; there have been successful attempts to remove the requirements on certain properties.

The big debate is whether a preserve area should be limited to those restrictions in the original Comprehensive Plan. The county is supposed to be preserving agriculture and open space by requiring a portion of the Ag Reserve to be set aside through the establishment of Conservation Easements. In order to build on the remaining land, a developer must purchase or own preserve land or the preservation rights on existing preserved land. This prevents more than the allotted 40 percent of development.

These development proposals seek to undermine the existing preservation goals by either reducing or eliminating land protection requirements. The Ag Reserve is ideally suited for agriculture and should not be constantly developed, which violates its intended purpose.

Where Exactly Is It?

The Ag Reserve lies between Hypoluxo Road (extended) on the north, Clint Moore Road on the south, the Turnpike on the east, and the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge on the west.

This area should not be confused with the Everglades Agricultural Area, which is west of the Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge, surrounds Lake Okeechobee to the south, and contains mostly sugar cane farms.

See Map

Why Is It Important?

We need to protect the Ag Reserve for a number of critical reasons.

Agricultural Production. Historically, the area has primarily been used for agricultural production. The warm growing climate and drainage system developed to primarily accommodate agriculture allowed for the production of crops (e.g., tomatoes, peppers) that remain very competitive in the local and national markets. Palm Beach County is the largest agricultural producer in the state of Florida. Locally grown foods are more economical and nutritious for local residents. In addition, local farms donate ‘ugly’ food to food banks and soup kitchens. Agriculture fuels a portion of the economy and is driving farm to table restaurants. Nurseries also play a role in the agricultural community, having similar designations to farms.
Flood Prevention. Agricultural land provides a buffer for flood waters, while development sends more water into canals that could become overloaded, leading to flooding of existing homes and businesses downstream.
Water Filtration. Stormwater on agricultural areas allows unwanted pollutants to be filtered naturally before being released into our waterways.
Drinking Water. Water collected on agricultural land helps to recharge the aquifer that Palm Beach County residents depend on for their drinking water.
Traffic. Roads are already overloaded in the area. More development will cause more traffic congestion, which reduces quality of life.
Noise and Light Pollution. Noise and light pollution from increased development can negatively impact the Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge, including the wildlife that lives there.

History

To learn more about the history of the Ag Reserve, check out the following resources:

How You Can Help

We oppose any change that weakens the integrity of open space and protection of nature. These proposed changes come up often, and we need your help to voice your concerns to your County Commissioner.

1. Contact your County Commissioner

You can find your Commissioner here.
All Commissioners’ contact information is here.

Sample Email:

Dear Commissioner [Insert your Commissioner’s name]:

I am concerned about what has been happening to the Agricultural Reserve (Ag Reserve) in Palm Beach County. We the voters set aside land in the Ag Reserve by approving overwhelmingly a bond issue in 1999 that included $100 million to purchase and preserve agricultural land in the Ag Reserve. While the county made good on its promise by purchasing 2,500 plus acres of the prime farmland for protection, Commissioners over the years have whittled down the protections of the non-conserved Ag Reserve. Despite the constant voice of citizens calling for the county to safeguard the overall goal of agricultural uses and water resource protection, the Commission has, over time, reduced protections.

The county has used the Comprehensive Planning process to protect remaining conservation lands, but too often loopholes are being used to get around the original goal and intent of the plan. Those of us who wish to protect the Agricultural Reserve have compromised many times to accommodate changes to the Ag Reserve. We continue to face a constant barrage of developer proposals to undermine agriculture that result in increasing density, traffic, noise, and light pollution. This negatively impacts the Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge, the Agricultural Reserve residents, and Palm Beach County as a whole.

The Ag Reserve provides so many critical benefits to our community, including agricultural production that drives our local economy, flood prevention, recharging aquifers that residents depend on for their drinking water, and water filtration of nutrient-rich pollutants that are filtered naturally before being released into our waterways.

I am asking you to end the constant compromises that open up more land to density and increase housing and commercial development. These changes are hurting our community and natural environment on so many levels.

Please prioritize agriculture over development in your future decisions.

Sincerely,
[Insert your name]

2. Attend a County Meeting