Lease of cattle grazing land RE-bid

Pasco County Parks, Recreation and Nature Resources (PRNR) is seeking a lessee for a cattle grazing lease on approximately 208 acres of County-owned property in the Spring Hill area (Parcel ID: 21-24-18-0000-00100-0000) through Invitation for Bid (IFB-SP-26-073). The property consists of three separate pastures—Jumping Gully Pasture 1 (87.76 acres), Jumping Gully Pasture 2 (62.19 acres), and Jumping Gully Pasture 3 (58.78 acres)—and will be managed by PRNR for vegetation control and invasive species management. The lessee must maintain the property in accordance with the Range Management Plan, implement Best Management Practices, conduct biweekly security inspections of perimeter fencing and gates, maintain grazing records provided yearly to PRNR, and comply with all state and local laws and permit requirements. The lessee may stock a maximum of 65 cattle grazing units and may utilize donkeys as protection animals and horses for cattle management purposes. Award will be made to the responsive and responsible bidder offering the highest revenue to the County based on the proposed price per animal unit, with a minimum acceptable revenue threshold of $225.00 per animal unit; bids below this threshold may be rejected as non-responsive or not in the best interest of the County. A non-mandatory pre-bid meeting is scheduled for April 14, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. ET at 18823 Fishburne Drive, Spring Hill, FL 34610, written questions are due by April 21, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. ET, and bids must be submitted online through the Bonfire platform by May 5, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. ET, with public opening at 2:00 p.m. ET the same day.

Prospective lessees must have a minimum of six years of prior experience operating in the cattle industry and are subject to background checks for trespass violations. All offerors must be registered with SunBiz (Florida Department of State Division of Corporations) and provide a Certificate of Status from the Florida Secretary of State; they must comply with E-Verify registration and utilization requirements for newly hired employees and must sign a Human Trafficking Affidavit under penalty of perjury. Local Vendor Preference is available to vendors maintaining a physical business address within Pasco County or neighboring counties (Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk, or Hernando County) who have operated for at least twelve months prior to bid opening and submit a valid Local Business Tax Receipt. The lessee must obtain comprehensive insurance coverage including general liability insurance with minimum limits of $2,000,000 per occurrence, automobile liability coverage of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence, and workers' compensation coverage, with all policies issued by insurers authorized to conduct business in Florida and rated Class VIII or better. The lease will commence upon approval by the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners and continue through September 30, 2030, with the County retaining the right to extend the agreement for three additional one-year periods under the same prices, terms, and conditions. No specific budget or award value is disclosed in the solicitation; rather, the contract value will be determined by the lessee's proposed price per animal unit multiplied by the number of allowable animal units, with all annual payments due on the anniversary date of each lease year.