Peanut Farm Withdraws Plan for Florida State Forest

Peanuts vs. gopher tortoises and swallow-tailed kites. It looks like the animals will remain. Lee Peanut Farms LLC looked to swap 700 acres in the Twin Rivers State Forest in northern Florida, near the banks of the Withlacoochee and Suwannee rivers.

In exchange, the peanut company would have given up 550 acres of property along the Withlacoochee River. That was the plan, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Local leaders were looking at the proposal, but some conservation groups in the state cited the harm that the peanut farm could do to the natural habitat of the area.

Ryan Worthington, a Florida environmental advocate who uses his Instagram platform with more than 48,000 followers to push for protection and appreciation for the outdoors, helped rally opposition to the peanut farm plans.

Worthington celebrated the news that Lee Peanut Farms LLC withdrew its request for the land swap.