FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For information, contact:
Ernie Cox, Family Lands Remembered
561.762.2282

ADAMS RANCH SUBMITS STEWARDSHIP SENDING AREA APPLICATION
AS PART OF COUNTY’S RURAL LAND STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM

ST. LUCIE COUNTY, FLORIDA, April 23, 2007 – Adams Ranch and Family Lands Remembered, as part of their collaborative participation in St. Lucie County’s Rural Land Stewardship Area program (Rural Land Stewardship), today submitted their Stewardship Sending Area (SSA) application to the County.

Rural Land Stewardship was adopted by St. Lucie County in September 2006 as an innovative program designed to protect and promote natural resources, agriculture and cultural heritage values, while planning for the long term, and directing growth to areas that do not have high natural resource values.

One of the key components of the SSA Application is the Natural Resource Index (NRI) Assessment Report. The NRI report details the environmental conditions and credit generation for the first SSA in St. Lucie County, which is proposed for approximately 12,000 acres of the Adams Ranch. The application materials also include a Historical Analysis and Report prepared by noted historian Joe Akerman, and all of the supporting information required by the County’s regulations.

Rural Land Stewardship is an incentive-based program that encourages landowners to voluntarily protect and conserve environmentally valuable land, while achieving public benefits that do not require taxpayer funding. In accordance with the State of Florida’s Rural Land Stewardship Statutes, the program is based on a Stewardship Credit system, and is fundamentally different from a transfer of development rights program. Through the Stewardship program, the value of natural resources, agriculture and cultural heritage are recognized and protected through the permanent removal of development and other uses from the land.

“The Adams Ranch Stewardship Sending Area is a significant achievement in land conservation in that it forever protects nearly 12,000 acres of the most beautiful and environmentally valuable land in St. Lucie County without the use of public dollars. This area is nearly twice as large as all of the lands acquired with taxpayer funding through the County’s environmental lands program,” explained Ernie Cox, President of Family Lands Remembered, who is facilitating implementation of the Rural Land Stewardship in St. Lucie County.

“We see this as a huge win for everyone. Adams Ranch is one of the last large cattle ranches in the region –and will be forever protected for future generations. Through this program, Adams Ranch can successfully sustain its agricultural operations, continue its stewardship of natural resources and the land itself will be protected forever. Future population will be accommodated in an off-site area that has low natural resource value and will be designed as a sustainable mixed-use community where folks can live, work and recreate,” Cox added.

The proposed Adams Ranch SSA will generate just over 35,000 Stewardship Credits, which would be transferred to Cloud Grove to create a Stewardship Receiving Area (SRA) for the mixed-use, sustainable community of Cloud Grove. A separate SRA application will be filed in the near future by Florida Conservancy & Development Group - a joint venture between Centex and Lennar Homes - for the Cloud Grove property as the next step in the Rural Land Stewardship process. The creation of the Cloud Grove community will essentially pay for the permanent protection of the 12,000 acre SSA on Adams Ranch.

With today’s filing, St. Lucie County staff will begin its review of the SSA Application, assisted by the planning and environmental professionals of MSCW, who have been engaged by the County for this review. The SSA Application will also be reviewed by the County’s Environmental Advisory Committee, and the cultural heritage portions of the SSA Application will be reviewed by the County’s Historical Commission. Following these reviews and recommendations, the SSA Application will be considered by the Board of County Commissioners in conjunction with the Cloud Grove Stewardship Receiving Area and its Development of Regional Impact (DRI) application towards the end of the year.

More information about St. Lucie County’s Rural Land Stewardship program is available online at www.familylandsremembred.com. The Stewardship Sending Area and Stewardship Receiving Area applications will also be available on the website in the near future.

About Adams Ranch

Founded in 1937, Adams Ranch is a fourth generation, family owned ranch and citrus production company headquartered in Fort Pierce, Florida. The home ranch in St. Lucie County covers approximately 16,500 acres with additional lands in Okeechobee, Osceola and Madison County, Florida as well as Sumter and Burke County, Georgia.

Under the direction of Alto “Bud” Adams, Jr., Chairman, the Ranch is dedicated to a holistic approach to land management that includes the livestock, grass, vegetation, water and wildlife. Adams Ranch has received numerous awards and recognition from local, state and national organizations for its innovative, long term programs to produce cattle that are adapted to Florida’s climate as well as its other conservation efforts and stewardship of the land. The company is actively managed by third and fourth generation family members.

About Family Lands Remembered

Family Lands Remembered facilitated the creation of the Rural Land Stewardship overlay in St. Lucie County covering Adams Ranch and Cloud Grove. The Company’s goal is to use creative land planning tools such as Rural Land Stewardship and other market-based incentive strategies to protect Florida’s environmental, cultural and agricultural resources.

Family Lands is also a program sponsor of FAU’s Center for Environmental Studies (CES) at the Riverwoods Field Lab in Lorida. CES’ mission is to facilitate education and research programs related to the restoration of the Kissimmee River and Greater Everglades watershed. In particular, Family Lands is involved with the restoration of the Pearce Homestead, a captivating and historic property located along the Florida Cracker Trail, the National Scenic Trail and the banks of the Kissimmee River, and related educational programs. For more information visit www.familylandsremembered.com.

Click here for a summary of the Adams Ranch SSA Application and an Overview of the Florida’s
RLS program.

###

Return to News/Events Section.