Joshua Creek West 26/27 Grazing Lease

The Florida Forest Service, a division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, is soliciting bids for a five-year cattle grazing lease on 616 acres in Orange County within the Charles H. Bronson State Forest in Christmas, Florida, with a mandatory site visit on November 4, 2026 and bids due November 25, 2026. Eligibility is restricted to bidders who have managed a beef production operation of at least 700 acres in Florida within the past two years, hold a 10-year successful beef production track record supported by three credible references, are currently enrolled in the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Cow/Calf Best Management Practices Program, and are in good standing with the Florida Cattlemen's Association.

The lease is exclusively for cattle grazing, with sod harvesting and hunting rights not permitted. The initial stocking rate is 75 animal units, and the lessee must maintain a minimum of 85 percent of the maximum allowable animal units. Stocking rates are reviewed and adjusted annually before payment. The lessee bears all operational costs, including fence construction and maintenance, water, equipment, herbicide treatments, and soil amendments. The fence needs map identifies 7,351 linear feet requiring repair, 3,895 linear feet requiring replacement, and 391 linear feet of new fence. The lessee must treat non-native invasive species at least three times annually across a minimum of 20 percent of the lease area, including tropical soda apple, Chinese tallow, cogon grass, and Brazilian pepper. Required insurance is commercial general liability of $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate, plus automobile liability of $300,000 per automobile, naming the State of Florida as additional insured. The land is accepted "as is."

The term is five years from execution, with one optional five-year renewal at the Department's sole discretion. Bidders submit a firm, fixed price per animal unit on the provided bid form, and annual payments are due on a designated date each year. The land is accepted in "as is" condition.

The evaluator score sheet allocates 150 points: Section A, business experience and qualifications, carries 50 points (25 for managing a beef production operation and 25 for proposed personnel), and Section B, the five-year grazing and land stewardship plan, carries 100 points across five 20-point components covering pasture management, herd management, invasive species, fencing and infrastructure, and stewardship timeline. The bid specifications add bid price as a 50-point criterion, awarding full points to the highest bid, and state that reference letters carry no points.

The written inquiry deadline is November 12, 2026. The site visit takes place at 10:00 a.m. Eastern on November 4 at 1350 Snow Hill Road, Geneva, and attendance is required to bid. Bids are due November 25, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern to 3125 Conner Boulevard, MS C-25, Tallahassee, Florida 32399. The public bid opening is November 30, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern, with an anticipated Notice of Agency Intent to Award on December 11, 2026, and a contract start date of January 9, 2027.