The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs lists at least 480 plants as threatened and endangered.

Florida supports more rare plant species than any other continental state except California.  This distinction results from a variety of habitats unique to Florida that were created by millennia of geological and environmental changes.  Over time, the adaptation of many plant species to these rarest of conditions within Florida’s unique ecosystems resulted in numerous plant species that are found nowhere else on earth.  The uniqueness of habitats, habitat destruction, alteration of habitat through land use changes (such as the exclusion of fire), competition from non-native invasive plants, and theft by rare plant collectors are just a few of the reasons why so many of Florida’s special plant species need our protection.

Rare plants are conserved in natural areas within JOE’s developments.  Such areas are managed either to enhance these species when they already are present, or areas are established and managed to receive relocated plants from other parts of our developments.  In some cases, some pant species are used in conjunction with landscaping within developed areas.  In this way, JOE can conserve such species in perpetuity.