January 16, 2026

Dear Prospective Bidder:

The Florida Forest Service is seeking a qualified beef producer interested in leasing 1,415 acres of land within the Little Big Econ State Forest in Geneva, Florida, to establish a new cattle grazing lease. Please review all the conditions, minimum qualifications, and submission requirements in the enclosed bid package. Attached is the bidder acknowledgement form, bid form, draft grazing agreement, and map.

Attendance at the mandatory site visit of the lease area is a requirement for submitting a bid. The current stocking rate for this grazing lease is 250 animal units. Stocking rates will be reviewed and adjusted each year prior to payments being made. The lease area is closed to the general public. All portions of the lease area may be open to Special Opportunity Hunts for the Operation Outdoor Freedom program.

For your information, the Bidder Acknowledgement Form is essentially a cover letter which provides general conditions concerning the grazing agreement. This form should not be returned with your bid.

However, if you do not bid, you have the option of returning it and explaining why you did not bid.

Grazing Area – 1,415 acres – Former privately held grazing area recently acquired by the FFS, which is has been left to rest since December 2024.

State Forest: Little Big Econ State Forest Tract: Snow Hill Tract County: Seminole

Portion of Section: 34; Township: 20 South; Range: 32 East

Portion of Section: 02; Township: 21 South; Range: 32 East

Portion of Section: 10; Township: 21 South; Range: 32 East

Portion of Section: 11; Township: 21 South; Range: 32 East

Pasture: 777.3 acres; Dome Swamp and Hydric Hammocks: 540.5 acres; Scrub; 54.5 acres; Roads; 8.2 miles, 25.8 acres; Marsh: 9.2 acres; Buildings: 4.2 acres; Ponds 3.4 acres; Tower: 0.1 acres.

Fencing Needs: None needed

Length of Contract: Five (5) years + a Five (5) year optional renewal.

Known Exotics: tropical soda apple (Solanum viarum), Chinese tallow (Triadica sebifera), camphortree

(Cinnamomum camphora), Caesarweed (Urena lobata), cogongrass (Imperata cylindrical), coral ardisia

(Ardisia crenata), Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius).

Timeline:

The following timeline will be strictly adhered to in all actions relative to this Invitation to Bid unless modified by the Department by written addendum. All required actions must be completed by the date and time indicated on the timeline.

EVENT DATE/TIME (ET) LOCATION

Release of ITB January 16, 2026 Vendor Information Portal https://vendor.myfloridamarketplace.com/

Mandatory Site Visit January 28, 2026

10:00 AM EST

1350 Snow Hill Road, Geneva, Florida, 32732

Last day for written

Inquiries to be received by the Florida Forest Service.

No questions will be accepted after this date.

February 3, 2026

Florida Department of Agriculture and

Consumer Services, Florida Forest Service

Email: FFS_BID12@FDACS.gov

**ALL EMAILS SHOULD CONTAIN THE

LEASE NAME IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF

THE EMAIL**

Anticipated Posting of

Written Responses to

Bidder Inquiries

February 10, 2026

Vendor Information Portal https://vendor.myfloridamarketplace.com/

Bid Submission Due

February 27, 2026

5:00 PM EST

Florida Department of Agriculture and

Consumer Services

3125 Conner Boulevard, MS C-25

Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1650

Evaluation Phase

(Anticipated)

March 2, 2026 – March 6, 2026

Notice of Agency Decision/

Intent to Award

(Anticipated)

March 10, 2026 Vendor Information Portal https://vendor.myfloridamarketplace.com/

Anticipated Contract Start

Date

April 1, 2026

Requirements:

1. The property will be leased for cattle grazing only. Offers for other uses such as sod harvesting or hunting rights will not be considered.

2. Lessee must maintain proper insurance coverage as specified by Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

3. Lessee must comply with all local, state, and federal regulations related to cattle grazing operations.

4. Lessee agrees to meet with the Contract Manager or designee a minimum of twice per year with the second meeting no later than 30 days prior to each annual payment. Adherence to management plan, current range conditions and pasture performance from past year will be reviewed at this time.

https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvendor.myfloridamarketplace.com%2F&data=05%7C02%7CStephanie.Bergozza%40fdacs.gov%7C030a333632c14d246f1808de5523acd3%7C62557d98bd114a888a7b57bc3df0190b%7C0%7C0%7C639041809223509640%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=jTR247j3fhfQR%2FfjUTtEvlwcTSoNEcoeMw%2F8nJ4kddg%3D&reserved=0 mailto:FFS_BID12@FDACS.gov https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvendor.myfloridamarketplace.com%2F&data=05%7C02%7CStephanie.Bergozza%40fdacs.gov%7C030a333632c14d246f1808de5523acd3%7C62557d98bd114a888a7b57bc3df0190b%7C0%7C0%7C639041809223509640%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=jTR247j3fhfQR%2FfjUTtEvlwcTSoNEcoeMw%2F8nJ4kddg%3D&reserved=0 https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvendor.myfloridamarketplace.com%2F&data=05%7C02%7CStephanie.Bergozza%40fdacs.gov%7C030a333632c14d246f1808de5523acd3%7C62557d98bd114a888a7b57bc3df0190b%7C0%7C0%7C639041809223509640%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=jTR247j3fhfQR%2FfjUTtEvlwcTSoNEcoeMw%2F8nJ4kddg%3D&reserved=0

Minimum Qualifications:

All prospective bidders must be able to demonstrate that they meet the following minimum qualifications as part of the Submission Requirements:

1. Manage an existing beef production operation of at least 1,500 acres in Florida with three (3) credible references.

2. A 10-year successful track record in the beef production industry.

3. Current enrollment in the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

(FDACS) Cow/Calf Best Management Practices (BMP) Program.

4. Member in good standing with the Florida Cattleman’s Association.

Bidders that fail to provide all of the requested information shall be deemed non-responsive, and their

Submission shall be rejected as such.

Mandatory Site Visit:

Tours of the site will be conducted on 01/28/2026 at 10:00 AM EST. Prospective bidders are required to attend the scheduled site visit tour and sign the roster.

Submission Format and Technical Requirements:

All prospective bidders must submit their proposal by mail to Florida Forest Service, Attention Terry

Frederick, 3125 Conner Boulevard, Tallahassee, FL, 32399, or by email in PDF format to

FFS_BID12@FDACS.gov. Please include the lease name in the subject line and ensure the file name includes your company’s name.

The bid submission package must include all requested forms and information. Each section should be clearly indicated in your response and must follow the format below, which will be scored by the appointed evaluation team.

SECTION A – Business Experience and Qualifications (50 points maximum)

Prospective bidders shall describe their company’s experience and qualifications for managing cattle grazing operations in Florida. The narrative must show how the company meets the minimum qualifications and must address the following (25 points for each bullet):

• Business experience (including number of years in business) and qualifications of the company

• Name(s), qualifications, and roles of key personnel that would be involved in the management of this cattle grazing lease

SECTION B – Five–Year Grazing and Land Stewardship Plan (100 points maximum)

Prospective bidders shall develop and propose a Five–Year Grazing and Land Stewardship Plan for the subject parcel that describes, in sufficient detail, how the bidder will implement and manage the cattle lease over the next five-year period and what management actions will be implemented to ensure the highest level of environmental stewardship of the land is attained. The following subjects shall be addressed as part of the plan, and each component is worth 20 points:

• Pasture Management

• Herd Management

• Invasive Species Management

• Fencing and Infrastructure Management

• Timeline for Stewardship Practices

SECTION C – Reference Letters (No points awarded for Section C)

Prospective bidders must submit three (3) reference letters as part of the bid submission package. Reference letters must be verifiable and should come from current/prior lessors or agricultural business associates.

SECTION D – Bid Submission Form (50 points maximum)

Prospective bidders shall fill out the bid form in its entirety and provide a firm, fixed price per animal unit. The State Lands Contract Facilitator will calculate each Bidder’s Price Score as described below using the Bid Submission Form. The highest bid received will be awarded full points for this section. All other bids will be calculated as follows:

(Bidder’s Fixed Price Amount) / (Highest Bidder’s Fixed Price Amount) = Y

Y x 50 = Points awarded for bid value

Evaluation Criteria:

The Florida Forest Service will evaluate and score submissions based on the above criteria and as described in Attachment A. Bidders will be ranked in order from highest to lowest based on the total calculation of points from Business Experience and Qualifications (Section A), the Five-Year Grazing and Land Stewardship Plan (Section B), and Bid Price (Section D). In the event of a tie for highest overall score, the bid with highest score for the Five-Year Grazing and Land Stewardship Plan will be the recommended lessee.

Additional conditions are as follows:

1. Bids must be submitted on the attached Florida Forest Service Bid Form. Amount of the bid should be plainly written, and the bidder’s signature is required. Bid amounts must be in United States dollars per animal unit.

2. Bidders should carefully examine both the agreement and the lease area on the ground before placing a bid.

3. The Florida Forest Service reserves the right to reject any and all bids.

4. Cost-share will be considered for reasonable repairs outside of normal operation maintenance.

These repair costs would be deducted from the annual fee and will require receipts.

Please contact the Florida Forest Service State Lands Contract Facilitator Terry Frederick at (850) 681-

5878, if you have any administrative questions concerning this Invitation to Bid.

STATE OF FLORIDA

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICES

INVITATION TO BID

Bidder Acknowledgment Form

BID NAME: SNOW HILL 25/26 GRAZING AGREEMENT

Agency Mailing Date: January 16, 2025

SUBMIT BIDS TO (by mail):

Florida Forest Service 3125 Conner Boulevard Tallahassee, Florida, 32399 Attention: Terry Frederick

SUBMIT BIDS (by email):

FFS_BID12@FDACS.gov

BIDS ARE DUE BY: February 27, 2026 5:00 P.M., EST

BID OPENING LOCATION: Bids will be opened and evaluated at The Florida Forest Service State Office located at 3125 Conner Blvd., Tallahassee, FL 32399

POSTING OF NOTICE OF AGENCY INTENT TO AWARD: Evaluation scoring and recommended award will be posted for review by interested parties at the location where bids were opened and will remain posted for a period of seventy-two (72) hours. Failure to file a protest within the time prescribed in Section 120.57 (3), Florida Statutes, shall constitute a waiver of proceedings under Chapter 120, Florida Statutes.

Posting will be on or about: March 10, 2025 10:00 A.M., EST.

Reason For No Bid

(See General Condition #2)

Signature

Name (Please Print)

Title

Company mailto:FFS_BID12@FDACS.gov

GENERAL CONDITIONS

1. EXECUTION OF BID: Bid form must contain a manual signature of authorized representative in the space provided. Bid must be typed or printed in ink. Use of erasable ink is not permitted. All corrections made by bidder to his bid price must be initialed. The company name and F.E.I.D. number must also appear on the bid form as required.

2. NO BID: If not submitting a bid, respond by returning only this bidder acknowledgment form, marking it "NO BID" and explain the reason in the space provided above. Please sign and print your name, title and company name in the space provided.

3. BID OPENING: Bid opening shall be public, on the date, location and the time specified on the Invitation to Bid. It is the bidder's responsibility to assure that his bid is delivered at the proper time and place of the bid opening. Bids which for any reasons are not so delivered, will not be considered. Offers by telegram or telephone are not acceptable. A bid may not be altered after opening of the bids.

4. PRICES, TERMS AND PAYMENT: Firm price shall be bid.

5. MISTAKES: Bidders are expected to examine the specifications, and all instructions pertaining to the bid. Failure to do so will be at the bidder's risk. In case of mistake in extension the unit price will govern.

6. INTERPRETATIONS/DISPUTES: Any questions concerning conditions and specifications shall be directed in writing to this office for receipt no later than ten (10) days prior to the bid opening. Inquiries must reference the date of bid opening and bid name. No interpretation shall be considered binding unless provided in writing by the State of Florida in response to requests in full compliance with this provision. Any person who is adversely affected by the agency's decision or intended decision concerning a bid award and who wants to protest such decision or intended decision shall file a protest in compliance with Chapter 5A-12, Florida Administrative Code. Failure to file a protest within the time prescribed in Section 120.57(3), Florida Statutes, shall constitute a waiver of proceedings under Chapter 120, Florida Statutes. With respect to a protest of the specifications and/or conditions contained in an Invitation to Bid or Request for Proposal (per 120.57(3)(b), Florida Statutes), the Notice of Protest shall be filed in writing within seventy-two (72) hours of receipt of notice of project plans or specifications or intended project plans and specifications in an Invitation to Bid or Request for Proposals, and the formal written protest shall be filed within ten (10) days after the date the notice of protest is filed.

7. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The award hereunder is subject to the provisions of Chapter 112, Florida Statutes. Bidders must disclose with their bid the name of any officer, director, or agent who is also an employee of the State of Florida, or any of its agencies. Further, all bidders must disclose the name of any State employee who owns, directly or indirectly, an interest of five percent (5%) or more in the bidder's firm or any of its branches in accordance with Chapter 287, Florida Statutes. All awards made as result of this bid shall conform to applicable Florida Statutes.

8. AWARDS: As the best interest of the State may require, the right is reserved to reject any and all bids or waive any minor irregularity or technicality in bids received. Bidders are cautioned to make no assumptions unless their bid has been evaluated as being responsive.

9. DEFAULT: Failure to perform according to this bid and/or resulting contract shall be cause for your firm to be found in default.

10. LEGAL REQUIREMENTS: Applicable provision of all Federal, State, county, and local laws, and of all ordinances, rules, and regulations shall govern development, submittal and evaluation of all bids received in response hereto and shall govern any and all claims and disputes which may arise between person(s) submitting a bid response hereto and the State of Florida, by and through its officers, employees and authorized representatives, or any other person, natural or otherwise; and lack of knowledge by any bidder shall not constitute a cognizable defense against the legal effect thereof.

11. ADVERTISING: In submitting a bid, bidder agrees not to use the results therefrom as a part of any commercial advertising.

12. ASSIGNMENT: Any Contract entered into pursuant to this bid invitation is not assignable by the buyer without the Department's written permission.

13. LIABILITY: The Buyer shall hold and save the State of Florida, its officers, agents, and employees harmless against claims by third parties resulting from the breach of this contract or the buyer's negligence. This requirement does not apply to contracts between governmental agencies.

14. CANCELLATION: The State shall have the right of unilateral cancellation for refusal by the buyer to allow public access to all documents, papers, letters, or other material subject to the provisions of Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, and made or received by the buyer in conjunction with the contract.

15. PUBLIC RECORDS: Any material submitted in response to this invitation to will become a public document pursuant to Section 119.07, F.S. This includes materials which the responding bidder might consider to be confidential or a trade secret. Any claim of confidentiality is waived upon submission, effective after opening pursuant to Section 119.07, F.S.

16. BIDDER QUALIFICATIONS: Bidders may be required to provide the Florida Forest Service with the name, address and telephone number of their last two (2) previous clients from whom the bidder has purchased similar products. The Division will verify these references to satisfy themselves of the Bidder’s ability to conduct the operation described herein in a satisfactory manner.

References which cannot be verified or indicate unsatisfactory performance (including, but not limited to : cutting un-designated timber, damage to un-designated timber, environmental damages/BMP violations, failure to make payment or timely payment, refusal to correct contract violations, and product theft) may result in disqualification of that bid. In addition, past performance with the Division will also constitute a reference and may be used by the Division to determine the prospective contractor’s ability to perform under any contract resulting from this bid. Unsatisfactory past performance with the Division (including, but not limited to : cutting un-designated timber, damage to un-designated timber, environmental damages/BMP violations, failure to make payment or timely payment, refusal to correct contract violations, and product theft) may result in rejection of bid.

17. CONTRACT PERFORMANCE: When required by the Florida Forest Service, the successful bidder must furnish documentation that indicates ability to furnish sufficient equipment and manpower to carry out the terms of the sale agreement. Any sub-contractor hired by the successful bidder is subject to approval by the Division and must also furnish two references if requested by the Division.

Any work by the sub-contractor cannot commence until a pre-harvesting conference is held with the Forester-in-Charge.

NOTE: ANY AND ALL SPECIAL CONDITIONS AND SPECIFICATIONS ATTACHED HERETO WHICH VARY FROM THESE GENERAL

CONDITIONS SHALL HAVE PRECEDENCE.

DACS-11245

01/2000

BID FORM

CATTLE GRAZING AGREEMENT

LITTLE BIG ECON STATE FOREST

SNOW HILL 25/26 GRAZING AGREEMENT

Bid Price Per Total Bid Price Allowable Animal For First Year Unit Per Year

Cattle Grazing on 1,415 acres x 250 = 250 Allowable Animal Units

I certify that this bid is made without prior understanding, agreement or connection with any corporation, firm, or person submitting a bid for the grazing lease, and is in all respects fair and without collusion or fraud. I agree to abide by all conditions of this bid and certify that I am authorized to sign this bid for the bidder and that the bidder is in compliance with all requirements of the Invitation to Bid.

Bidder Signature:

Bidder Name (type/printed):

Company Name: _________________________________________________________

Company Mailing Address:

City: State: Zip:

Telephone Number: ( ) ( )

Email Address:

Federal Employer's Identification (FEID) or Social Security Number: