Florida's Safe Harbor Program on the Land Conservation Assistance Network

Florida's Safe Harbor Program
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last updated: August 2023

Since 2006, this statewide program has been authorized through an agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). Red-cockaded woodpeckers are protected under the ESA, meaning landowners have a legal obligation to protect the birds and their habitat.

Safe Harbor Agreements make sense whenever landowners are interested in restoring or enhancing habitats that may benefit this endangered species but are concerned about incurring additional regulatory restrictions on the use of their land. It effectively freezes a landowner's ESA responsibilities as long as the owner agrees to restore, enhance or create habitat that benefits red-cockaded woodpeckers.

The Safe Harbor Program has many benefits to landowners, but the primary incentive is the certainty they gain regarding future land use. Property owners can maintain, restore or enhance red-cockaded woodpecker habitat, with the assurance that additional birds will not result in more land use restrictions. The program is voluntary and a landowner can withdraw from it at any time.

Contact Florida's Safe Harbor Program

REMINDER: This listing is a free service of LandCAN.
Florida's Safe Harbor Program is not employed by or affiliated with the Land Conservation Assistance Network, and the Network does not certify or guarantee their services. The reader must perform their own due diligence and use their own judgment in the selection of any professional.