Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet approved a $141 million investment to expand Florida’s Wildlife Corridor by more than 42,000 acres through the Florida Forever and Rural and Family Lands Protection programs. More than 17,000 acres border Big Cypress National Preserve and will advance Everglades restoration efforts. The Florida Wildlife Corridor is a designated network of connected lands that creates crucial linkages for wildlife habitat. All projects also advance key protections of the state’s water resources and recharge areas. The acquisition of 17,229 acres within the Devil’s Garden Florida Forever Project in Hendry County is part of a phased, landscape-scale acquisition totaling more than 82,000 acres. This is the largest acquisition purchase in the state since 2006. The natural systems of Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park and Big Cypress National Preserve are dependent on the water supplied from this area, and most of the Devil’s Garden project lies within the Western Everglades Restoration Project planning boundary. Numerous recent records of panther use and the presence of other rare and imperiled plants and animals have been noted throughout the property, state officials said. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will manage the parcel as part of the Okaloacoochee Slough Wildlife Management Area