Are there any special habitats protected by the county?
There are six different imperiled or rare natural community habitats protected by the County. If these particular imperiled habitats are present on a particular parcel of land, a percentage of these habitat areas are required to be preserved in the development planning process.
Significant Natural Community Habitats
Sandhill and Scrub habitats occur on well-drained sandy ridges and rolling hills throughout the mainland portion of the County. These “Significant Natural Community Habitats” were at one time widespread, but most have been degraded or fragmented by timbering, overgrazing, plowing, or fire exclusion and have been converted to pastures, pine plantations, or residential and commercial developments.
The other four rare and imperiled habitats are found in sporadic areas along the coastline and include Maritime Hammock, Beach Dune, Coastal Grassland and Coastal Strand Communities.
For more information on these types of habitats, access the Florida Natural Areas Inventory.