§698f Big Cypress National Preserve; Big Cypress National Preserve Addition

Summary

Creates the Big Cypress National Preserve to protect its natural, scenic, water, plant, animal, and recreation values. The preserve follows a map dated November 1971 and may include up to 570,000 acres. The Secretary of the Interior must publish the exact boundary details. The Secretary can get land inside the preserve or its Addition by donation, purchase, transfer from another federal agency, or exchange. Land the State of Florida already owns inside the preserve can only be given to the United States by donation, and state-acquired land in the Addition is handled under the cost rules below. No federal money will be used to buy preserve land until Florida’s governor signs an agreement to transfer state-owned preserve lands to the U.S. and to donate lands or any remaining funds bought under the Big Cypress Conservation Act of 1973. Improved property or oil and gas rights won’t be taken without the owner’s OK unless the Secretary finds their use would harm the preserve. The Secretary can skip buying subsurface rights if not needed. Offers to sell for $10,000 or less can be accepted without an appraisal, and the Secretary may order an appraisal of unimproved property without telling the owner. Federally owned lands within the preserve can be placed under the Secretary’s administration with the other agency’s agreement and without moving money. Nothing here stops Florida from getting land needed for Interstate 75. For the Addition, the United States will pay at most 80% of land acquisition costs. If Florida transfers land in the Addition to the U.S., the Secretary will reimburse the state 80% of what the state spent, but that payment is reduced by 20% of what the Secretary spent buying other Addition lands. “Total cost” excludes amounts paid by the Federal Highway Administration and the Florida Department of Transportation, including severance damages for Interstate 75.