Milton staff recommends declaring 24-acre parcel surplus; residents urge conservation or county return

City Manager (name not specified) told the Milton City Council work session that staff’s recommendation is to declare a 24-acre parcel surplus and offer it for sale by sealed bid because the wastewater treatment plant relocation left no identified municipal use for the site.

The recommendation matters because the city previously made a commitment to provide 120,000 gallons of wastewater capacity to the county related to other land exchanges; staff said the city will honor that commitment but also said the parcel itself is titled to the city "free and clear." The manager told council the city has already provided some capacity and that the county has roughly 40,000 gallons remaining under the agreement.

Residents urged alternatives to sale. Pam Mitchell asked whether the city had offered the property back to the county and noted a memorandum of agreement that she said makes the parcel effectively encumbered by a county capacity obligation. A staff member identified only as "Mr. Cook" said about 40,000 gallons of capacity remain and estimated a notional value of roughly $16 per gallon (said in the meeting as a back-of-envelope figure), which the meeting recorded in discussion as roughly $640,000.

Speakers argued the land contains jurisdictional wetlands. Multiple members of the public, including conservation advocates and family members of prior owners, urged the council to pursue perpetual conservation or to contact the Northwest Florida Water Management District about acquisition. Dave Samples, who identified himself as East Milton, recommended the water management district as a likely buyer; Lauren Cooper, a descendant of prior owners, asked that the 24 acres be placed in perpetual conservation.

Staff said the county administrator and county attorney had been consulted about a separate 100-acre parcel and expressed that the county showed no interest in taking back the 24-acre parcel. The city manager also said that because people were already using the property for recreation, the city faced liability for an unused parcel and recommended identifying a conservation organization to accept any easement if the council wanted the land removed from city ownership.

Council took no final vote on the recommendation at the work session and agreed to keep the item on the formal council meeting agenda for more detailed discussion.

Ending: The council deferred formal action to the upcoming city council meeting so members can receive additional information and hear further public comment. Staff said it will present options, including declaring the parcel surplus for sealed bids or transferring it into a conservation easement with an outside organization.