Uplands Management

Division of State Lands - Bureau of Public Land Administration (BPLA)

Facts about the Uplands Section                                             

BPLA manages the leases, subleases, easements, use agreements, deed restrictions, reverter revisions, and other approvals for all activities on state-owned lands, title to which is or was vested in the Board of Trustees (Governor and Cabinet) of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund.

For the Division of State Lands' purposes, uplands are defined as those lands above the mean high-water line (or ordinary high-water line), title to which is vested in the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund of the State of Florida. State-owned uplands are managed for a variety of uses including parks, forests, wildlife management areas, historic sites, educational facilities (including public universities) and correctional institutions, among others. The Uplands Section processes correspondence related to local government issues for state-owned lands, including notices, code violations and hearings, along with the following instruments for the use of state-owned lands.

Uplands Section Instruments:

• Leases
• Subleases
• Easements
• Use Agreements
• Letters of Authorization

Other Instruments Processed:

• Release or Modification of Deed Restrictions
  • Sometimes, the BOT conveys property with restrictions such as use of property, purpose, or confining terms.  Due to the complexity and variables involved with modifying or releasing these deed restrictions, please contact the Bureau of Public Land Administration for more information.
• Release of Deed Reservations
  • Many BOT deeds conveying property or lands to other entities contain certain reservations.  Typically, the reservations are related to canals, road rights-of-way, or oil and minerals.  Additional information, as well as the application for release of reservation is found below.

Applications

For applications to use state-owned uplands Click Here

For applications to release of reservations Click Here

Applications (please include copy of check) may be submitted online at Upland.Applications@FloridaDEP.gov or mailed with check or money order made payable to the Department of Environment Protection at:

Application Fee

All applications require a non-refundable $300 application fee per 18-2.019(6), F.A.C., with required attachments noted below.  Agencies, as defined in rule, are exempt from this requirement (18-2.017(2), F.A.C.).