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Farmton Conservation Management Plan Volusia County Pursuant to Farmton Local Plan Ordinances 2009-34, 2011-10, and 2013-05 Miami Corporation Farmton Conservation Management Plan Task Force Effective upon final adoption by Volusia County Council Ordinance 2013-07 Exhibit A Executive Summary The Farmton Conservation Management Plan (CMP) for Volusia County is required by the Farmton Local Plan (FLP) adopted by Ordinance 2011-10 which became effective on March 29, 2012. The CMP applies to approximately 32,000 acres designated GreenKey, Environmental Core Overlay and Mandatory Resource Based Open Space on the Volusia County Future Land Use Map, as well as additional acres designated in the future as Resource Based Open Space. The requirements for the CMP are set forth in the Farmton Local Plan including that it be enforced through conservation covenants and easements. The CMP was proposed by Miami Corporation and reviewed by the Farmton Task Force appointed by the County Council. The Task Force met between November 7, 2011 to September 5, 2012 and reviewed several iterations of the CMP. At its final meeting, the Task Force adopted numerous amendments to the CMP and approved a motion to recommend it to the county council for adoption subject to minor amendments (scrivener's errors) agreed to by the county. Subsequent review of the recommended CMP led county staff to the conclusion that minor amendments to the FLP including the Future Land Use Map (FLUM) were required for consistency. Those amendments were processed as CPA13-003 and adopted as Ordinance 2013-05. This document contains the CMP, as proposed by Miami Corporation, with amendments adopted by the Task Force, and edits of scrivener's errors recommended by county staff. Each of the figures in the CMP has been modified to be consistent with the amended FLUM. Other changes to the CMP to conform to the revised FLP are referenced by a footnote and have been agreed to be county staff and Miami Corporation1. The Farmton Tract consists of approximately 59,000 acres in Volusia and Brevard Counties owned by Miami Corporation and generally located between Interstate 95 and the St. Johns River. In 2009, Miami Corporation filed comprehensive plan amendments in Volusia and Brevard Counties which provided for future development with an emphasis on placing land into conservation prior to development. The Brevard County portion of the plan became effective in 2011 and the conservation easement and management plan has been approved. This CMP relates to the conservation areas in Volusia County. The Farmton Local Plan requires that two-thirds of the property in Volusia County be placed into conservation and subject to the CMP. As Sustainable Development Areas are planned for development in the future, the FLP requires additional Resource Based Open Space to be brought into conservation. The FLP requires that ultimately 75% of Farmton to be subject to the CMP and permanently protected by conservation easement. On July 10, 2012, the Brevard County Commission approved a conservation management plan over approximately 9,000 acres. The addition of approximately 32,000 acres under this CMP in Volusia County means a total of approximately 41,000 acres in both counties will be placed in conservation thus meeting the initial requirements of the FLP. The CMP explains its relationship to the FLP and to adjoining conservation lands in Brevard County. The CMP also relates to approximately 19,000 acres of the property permitted as the 1 This language was added by staff to clarify that certain provisions of the CMP as recommended by the Task Force were amended to be consistent with the provisions of CPA 13-003, and adopted as Ordinance 2013-05. i Farmton Mitigation Bank to be managed pursuant to permit conditions. The CMP sets forth: 1) a history of the land management of the property and a catalogue of natural resources, vegetative communities, soils, and flora and fauna on site as well documented baseline conditions; 2) land management and natural resource objectives and desired future conditions for the tract; and 3) specific actions for special areas which contain exceptional natural resources. The Farmton Local Plan was a unique opportunity for large scale-long term planning. The Conservation Management Plan establishes the policies which will govern the natural resource management of the property in perpetuity. ii Acknowledgements The Farmton Conservation Management Plan for Volusia County was prepared by representatives of Miami Corporation, reviewed by Volusia County Growth Management Department staff and Legal Department, and members of the Farmton Conservation Management Plan Task Force appointed by the Volusia County Council. Miami Corporation Barbra Goering, Vice President Mike Brown, Director of Operations Glenn Storch, Storch & Harris LLP Clay Henderson, Holland & Knight LLP Sharon Collins, Terrablue Environmental Volusia County Jamie Seaman, Deputy County Attorney Derrill McAteer, Assistant County Attorney Ginger Adair, Director Environmental Management Randall Sleister, Land Management Supervisor Ed Isenhour, Volusia Forever Coordinator Farmton Conservation Management Plan Task Force Stephen Kintner, West Volusia Audubon, Chair Alan Alshouse, Vice Chair Adele Mills, Florida Department of Environmental Protection Office of Greenways and Trails Charles Lee, Florida Audubon Society Vickie Larson, Citizen Representative Mike Kuypers, Florida Forestry Service Preston Robertson, Florida Wildlife Federation Mike Brown, Miami Corporation Mark Asleson, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Robert Christianson, St. Johns River Water Management District George Tanner, University of Florida retired. Reference This plan shall be cited as Farmton Conservation Management Plan adopted as Volusia County Ordinance 2013-07. iii Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................. I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...........................................................................................................III LIST OF ACRONYMS .................................................................................................................. X PLACE NAMES USED IN CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN ................................ XII 1.0 INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 1.1 FARMTON LOCAL PLAN ....................................................................................................1 1.2 CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN ..............................................................................7 1.2.1 CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN REQUIREMENTS .....................................................7 2.0 REGIONAL OVERVIEW AND NATURAL RESOURCE SIGNIFICANCE ..................9 2.1 REGIONAL CONSERVATION LANDS ...................................................................................9 2.2 ECOREGION .....................................................................................................................11 3.0 FARMTON TRACT HISTORICAL NOTES ...................................................................13 3.1 CULTURAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES ............................................................13 3.2 FARMTON TIMBER HISTORY ...........................................................................................13 3.3 HUNTING HISTORY .........................................................................................................13 3.4 MITIGATION BANK .........................................................................................................14 3.5 FIRE HISTORY .................................................................................................................16 3.6 FARMTON LOCAL PLAN ADOPTION.................................................................................16 4.0 DESCRIPTION OF NATURAL RESOURCE BASELINE CONDITIONS ....................17 4.1 HYDROLOGY ...................................................................................................................17 4.2 GEOLOGY........................................................................................................................18 4.3 SOILS ..............................................................................................................................18 4.4 NATURAL COMMUNITIES ................................................................................................21 4.4.1 RELATIONSHIP TO HABITAT MODELING ......................................................................21 4.4.2 DESCRIPTION OF VEGETATIVE COMMUNITIES .............................................................23 4.5 LISTED AND IMPERILED SPECIES .....................................................................................26 4.5.1 Floral Listed Species ..................................................................................................26 4.5.2 Faunal Listed Species ................................................................................................27 4.5.3 Non-Listed Imperiled Species ....................................................................................31 4.6 USFWS CONSULTATION AREAS.....................................................................................32 5.0 EXISTING BASELINE MANAGEMENT AND CONDITIONS ....................................34 iv 5.1 CURRENT ACTIVITIES AND PRACTICES ...........................................................................34