North Florida Land Trust (NFLT) celebrated another year of conservation successes and honored the environmental heroes driving that progress at its Annual Meeting and Celebration. The gathering brought together national conservation advocates, elected officials, and community leaders, offering newcomers and longtime supporters alike a clear look at the growing movement to protect North Florida’s natural lands.
NFLT was honored to have Land Trust Alliance CEO Ashley Demosthenes as this year’s keynote speaker. The Land Trust Alliance (LTA) is a national land conservation organization that empowers and mobilizes land trusts in communities across America to conserve land for the benefit of all. LTA works with more than one thousand land trusts nationwide to advance private land conservation and ensure that important landscapes are protected for generations to come.
“North Florida Land Trust is doing some excellent work—you are walking the walk and are a voice for land conservation,” said Demosthenes. “We all know the challenges of land conservation and protecting the lands that protect us against things like coastal flooding and storm surge. Input we receive from organizations like North Florida Land Trust helps us as we develop a comprehensive strategic planning initiative that will help us write the next chapter of land conservation in America.”
In 2025, NFLT protected over 18,000 acres of land across North Florida, bringing the total amount of land protected since the nonprofit’s inception in 1999 to more than 125,000. The lands safeguarded wildlife habitats and working lands and further connected the critical Ocala to Osceola (O2O) Wildlife Corridor. The organization grew its membership to more than 750 people, saw over 165 individuals join its volunteer projects, and released “Keeping North Florida Wild,” the organization’s 25th-anniversary book.
One of the properties NFLT was able to conserve was due to the efforts of Congressman Aaron Bean, this year’s recipient of the NFLT Conservation Champion Award. NFLT President and CEO Allison DeFoor reached out to Congressman Bean for assistance when NFLT was facing a deadline. Representative Bean and his team helped NFLT work with federal partners to complete a conservation easement on a 1,683-acre property near Olustee Battlefield Historic Park and adjacent to the Osceola National Forest.
“I texted Representative Bean and said, ‘we need some help’ and he got his team on it right away,” said DeFoor. “I am very appreciative of his commitment to what we do. It has made a big difference.”
“Government sometimes moves slowly, but North Florida Land Trust moves fast, and I am honored to have been a part of the urgency that saved this land,” said Congressman Bean. “All of us share a common vision that brings us together: to protect the swamps, forests, rivers, streams, and coastlines. It is best for the earth and the next generation, and it is definitely worth fighting for.”
This year’s Charlie Commander Land Conservation Award, named in honor of a longtime NFLT supporter and conservationist, was presented to Randy and Paula Ringhaver, the owners of Ring Power. Together, the company and the Ringhaver family donated a 1,732-acre conservation easement in St. Johns County known as DeerCreek Plantation to NFLT.
The Partnership for Gulf Coast Land Conservation received this year’s Partner of the Year Award for its support of NFLT. The organization has helped fund critical due diligence work to advance land protection across the region. The Advocate of the Year Award was given to Guy Marwick, who, through his leadership at the Felburn Foundation, has been a longtime and generous supporter of NFLT.
The NFLT Presidential Award was given to two people this year: Dr. Wayne Wood and Mark Middlebrook. Dr. Wood, a renowned Jacksonville historian, author, and preservationist, was honored for his deep commitment to the community. Dr. Wood helped facilitate one of NFLT’s largest property gifts and has helped preserve the cultural and architectural heritage of our region. Middlebrook, who passed away earlier this year, was honored for his work with the Preservation Project Jacksonville and the Timucuan Parks Foundation. Middlebrook’s work protected more than 50,000 acres across Jacksonville and built one of the largest urban park systems in the nation.
NFLT’s Salty Soiree Committee was presented with the Volunteers of the Year Award. Janyce Dawkins, Becky Grimes, Pam Hart, Cynthia Jones-Jackson, Connie McDaniel, Lyn Pannone, and Sally Perez put together a fundraiser for NFLT in Amelia Island in October of 2025. The sold-out event at Fort Clinch State Park welcomed more than 150 guests to celebrate conservation and raise money for NFLT. The event will become an annual event with the next Salty Soiree scheduled for October 25, 2026.
NFLT also announced a new fundraising campaign to add four more acres to Bogey Creek Preserve, its public preserve located at 5500 Cedar Point Rd. within the 7 Creeks Recreation Area. The nonprofit must raise $150,000 by June 1 to preserve the property.
NFLT would like to thank the sponsors of the Annual Meeting and Celebration. Black Bear Sponsors included Dream Finders Homes, Eastland, the Lisa Barton Team Ponte Vedra Beach, and Wetland Preserve Conservation Compatible Forestry. Judith Beaubouef, Lory Doolittle, Ann and Keith Holt, and The Players were Bobcat Sponsors. Gratitude is also extended to all Manatee, Gopher Tortoise and Marsh Rabbit Sponsors.
About North Florida Land Trust
North Florida Land Trust is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving and enhancing the quality of life by protecting North Florida’s irreplaceable natural environment. Founded in 1999, NFLT has preserved tens of thousands of acres of land through the donation or purchase of land as well as conservation easements. NFLT is funded largely by private and corporate contributions and works closely with willing landowners and public agencies at all levels of government, not-for-profit partners, and foundations.
