Seminole County Wetlands Vision
Where Local Expertise Meets Untapped Opportunity
Two weeks after Hurricane Milton battered Central Florida, Lake Jesup in Seminole County was still doing its job. The parking lot at the wilderness area sat underwater. The trails? Submerged. The normally dry shoreline? A hundred feet further out than usual, absorbed into the lake's expanded embrace.
"If you were to build a house out here, this is what would happen," Alex Roberts, a field program supervisor with the St. Johns River Water Management District, told reporters as he surveyed the flooded landscape. "Some of these areas are just supposed to do this. This is what we need them to do."
He's right. And watching Lake Jesup's wetlands perform their ancient function—soaking up 1.5 million gallons of water per acre, protecting downstream communities, filtering runoff naturally—should make every Seminole County resident grateful for the 8,500 acres of public floodplain we've managed to protect.
But here's the uncomfortable truth: protection isn't the same as management. And Seminole County's wetlands, as crucial as they are, face challenges that simple protection can't solve.
The Treasure We're Sitting On
Let's start with the good news, because Seminole County has plenty of it.
Lake Jesup alone encompasses approximately 16,000 acres of open water and floodplain, making it the largest lake in Seminole County. About 8,500 acres of this floodplain are in public hands, split between the St. Johns River Water Management District and Seminole County. That's substantial conservation investment paying dividends every time storms roll through.
The Black Hammock Wilderness Area—700 acres of preserved habitat along Lake Jesup's shores—offers residents and visitors trails through mixed hardwood swamp, sand pine scrub, and pine flatwoods. Each fall, thousands of acres of native swamp sunflowers (Helianthus angustifolius) bloom in synchronized displays across the floodplain, indicating a healthy, functioning ecosystem.
The county has enacted strong wetland protection policies too. Development within the Econlockhatchee River Protection Overlay prohibits construction within 550 feet of the Big and Little Econlockhatchee Rivers except for passive recreation and wetland creation. The Wekiva River Protection Area mandates 50-foot average setbacks from wetlands and requires at least 50 percent tree preservation.
These are smart, forward-thinking policies that recognize wetlands aren't just pretty landscapes—they're functional infrastructure. Every preserved acre is flood storage, water filtration, wildlife habitat, and storm protection rolled into one elegant natural system.
What Protection Alone Can't Fix
But protection has its limits.
Seminole County's wetlands don't exist in isolation. They're part of larger watersheds receiving runoff from development, agriculture, and urban areas. They're affected by altered hydrology from decades of engineering. And like wetlands throughout Florida, they face pressure from invasive species that protection policies can't address.
Invasive plants don't respect conservation easements. They don't care about setback requirements or riparian protection zones. They spread, they dominate, and they fundamentally alter the ecosystems we're working so hard to protect.
The question isn't whether Seminole County's wetlands need management. They do. The question is: what tools are we using, and could there be better options we haven't explored yet?
The Innovation Gap
Here's where things get interesting.
Florida spends over $100 million annually managing invasive plants across the state. The South Florida Water Management District alone treats 185,000 acres yearly. Traditional methods—herbicides, mechanical removal, prescribed burning—all have their place. But they're expensive, labor-intensive, and require repeated application.
Meanwhile, just fifteen minutes from Lake Jesup's wetlands, there's a farm in Oviedo raising an animal breed that might offer a complementary approach nobody's investigating.
Black Hammock Farm, nestled in Seminole County, raises Katahdin hair sheep—a breed uniquely adapted to Florida's challenging environment. These aren't your grandmother's wool sheep. They shed naturally, eliminating shearing costs. They resist internal parasites that devastate other breeds in Florida's humidity. They thrive in heat. They're already being raised successfully for meat production and what the farm calls "eco-friendly land clearing."
But here's what they're not being used for yet: strategic wetland vegetation management.
And that's the missed opportunity.
What Research Tells Us (From Elsewhere)
Before you think this is some wild idea, let me share what's been documented in other places.
A 14-year study of Florida seasonal wetlands (not in Seminole County, but elsewhere in the state) found that strategic cattle grazing actually maintained plant diversity better than fencing out livestock entirely. When cattle were excluded, invasive species like West Indian marsh grass formed monocultures. Grazed wetlands stayed more diverse, more complex, more resilient.
Research from the UK consistently shows that grazed ponds have higher conservation value than ungrazed ones. Low-intensity livestock grazing creates the habitat heterogeneity—the mix of vegetation heights, open patches, and disturbance patterns—that many wetland species evolved with and depend on.
European studies found that strategic wetland grazing benefits both conservation goals and traditional land use. Australian research documented how sheep grazing affects wetland seed banks and plant communities in ephemeral wetlands.
The science exists. The principles are well-documented. Strategic livestock grazing isn't some fringe idea—it's an established management tool in wetland conservation worldwide.
The Local Connection Nobody's Made
So why bring this up in the context of Seminole County?
Because we have all the pieces here, locally, and nobody's put them together yet.
We have wetlands that need innovative management approaches to complement existing tools. We have a local farm with expertise in raising Katahdin sheep specifically suited to Florida conditions. We have the St. Johns River Water Management District actively managing thousands of acres of floodplain. We have Seminole County's Natural Lands Program already working on conservation lands.
What we don't have is anyone exploring whether these pieces could work together.
Imagine: What if Black Hammock Farm, with its established Katahdin operation and understanding of sustainable livestock management, could partner with county or district land managers on pilot projects? Small-scale, carefully monitored trials testing whether strategic sheep grazing during dry periods could help control invasive grasses in degraded wetland areas?
This isn't happening now. Black Hammock Farm is doing excellent work raising sheep for meat and practicing sustainable agriculture. But the potential for their operation to pioneer something new—wetland management services using livestock specifically adapted to Florida—remains unexplored territory.
What Local Government Could Do Differently
Seminole County has been thoughtful about wetland protection. The policies are strong. The conservation investments are real. But there's room to think bigger about management.
Encourage pilot projects: County-owned conservation lands could host small-scale research trials. Partner with the University of Florida, which already researches Katahdin genetics and wetland ecology. Invite local Katahdin producers to collaborate. Test whether targeted grazing could reduce herbicide use in specific wetland types.
Create pathways for innovation: The regulatory framework protects wetlands (appropriately), but it can also make trying new approaches difficult. Develop clear protocols for experimental management projects with scientific oversight. Make it easier for land managers to test promising approaches.
Support local agricultural connections: Seminole County has working agricultural operations that could diversify into ecosystem services. What if farms like Black Hammock could contract wetland management services? That keeps agriculture viable while addressing conservation needs.
Invest in monitoring: If pilot projects happen, fund proper before-and-after assessments. Document what works, what doesn't, and why. Build an evidence base that can inform future management across the county and region.
Think regionally: Partner with other Central Florida counties facing similar challenges. Pool resources for larger-scale research. Share findings. Build collective expertise in innovative wetland management.
The Vision Worth Pursuing
Picture Lake Jesup five years from now.
The native swamp sunflowers still bloom each fall in their synchronized yellow waves. The wetlands still absorb flood waters during storms. But the invasive grasses that currently compete with native plants? They're controlled through strategic grazing during dry seasons, reducing chemical applications and creating variable vegetation structure that benefits wildlife.
Local Katahdin sheep operations have diversified beyond meat sales into wetland management services, creating new revenue streams while supporting conservation. The University of Florida has published research on optimal grazing protocols for different Florida wetland types. Other counties are replicating successful approaches.
Seminole County is known not just for protecting wetlands, but for pioneering innovative ways to manage them sustainably.
That's not the reality today. But it could be.
What Happens Next
This article isn't about claiming solutions exist that don't. Black Hammock Farm isn't currently managing wetlands with Katahdin sheep. No pilot projects are underway. This is unexplored territory.
But that's exactly why it's worth talking about.
Seminole County has invested heavily in wetland protection, and that investment is paying off. We've preserved critical acreage. We've enacted strong policies. We've built public awareness of why wetlands matter.
Now it's time to ask: What's next? How do we move from protection to truly sustainable management? What innovative approaches could complement traditional methods?
The ingredients are here locally. The research foundation exists globally. What's missing is the initiative to connect them—to ask whether Seminole County could pioneer an approach that benefits both conservation and agriculture.
Black Hammock Farm, with its established Katahdin operation in Oviedo, is ideally positioned to explore this frontier if partnerships and pilot projects materialize. They have the expertise, the animals, and the commitment to sustainable practices. What they need is the opportunity to apply that expertise in new ways—and the collaborative partners to make it happen.
A Call to Conversation
If you work for Seminole County Natural Lands, the St. Johns River Water Management District, or the University of Florida—this is worth investigating. The research foundations are solid. The potential benefits are real.
If you're involved with Black Hammock Farm or other local Katahdin operations—there might be opportunities here beyond traditional agriculture. Wetland management services could create new markets while supporting conservation.
If you're a Seminole County resident who cares about our wetlands—ask your county commissioners and environmental managers what innovative approaches they're considering. Support pilot projects that could lead to better, more sustainable management.
The wetlands that protected us during Hurricane Milton deserve our best thinking. Not just protection—though that's essential—but innovative, sustainable management that keeps them healthy for generations.
We have the wetlands. We have the sheep. We have the expertise.
All we need is the courage to try something new.
Learn More
St. Johns River Water Management District: Visit sjrwmd.com for information on Lake Jesup conservation
Seminole County Natural Lands: Call 407-665-2211 for wilderness area information
Black Hammock Farm: Located in Oviedo, raising Katahdin sheep with sustainable practices (blackhammockfarm.com)
University of Florida/IFAS Extension: Research on both Katahdin sheep and Florida wetland management
Get Involved
Visit Lake Jesup Wilderness Area and Black Hammock Wilderness Area trails
Attend Seminole County Natural Lands programs and guided hikes
Support local conservation efforts and sustainable agriculture
Ask your county commissioners about innovative wetland management approaches
Seminole County's wetlands are a treasure worth protecting—and worth managing thoughtfully, innovatively, and sustainably. The conversation starts here.
