Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Acquisition topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County details recent land purchases, conservation easements and plans for more public access
Summary
Parks Director Nicole Ressler updated commissioners on recent county land acquisitions (fee-simple and conservation easements), the county—s protected-acre totals and plans to expand public access, including work plans to pursue 29 high-priority waterfront parcels for boat access.
Nicole Ressler, director of Parks, Recreation & Natural Resources, told the Board on Dec. 18 that Sarasota County has continued a mix of fee-simple purchases and conservation easements to expand protected lands and public access.
Ressler outlined four main acquisition funding sources: the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Protection Program (ESLPP), the Neighborhood Parks acquisition program (both voter-approved referenda), park impact fees and the general fund. She listed recent fee-simple purchases including a roughly 32-acre Edmondson Farm addition to Curry Creek Preserve (acquired June 2023), a little over 0.5 acre on West Bay Street acquired in late 2023 with shoreline access and structures to be adapted for public access, and a Burns property of about 43 acres acquired April 2024 to expand conservation in east county.
Ressler said the county has added conservation easements as a tool and credited Longino Ranch easement work, adding "just a little over 655 acres this past year." She reported county-held protected acres at just over 77,000 and broader protected land (including state, municipal and trust holdings) at roughly 126,000 acres.
On access and amenities, Ressler summarized completed projects (Shears-Thaxton Preserve upgrades, Red Bug Slough improvements) and current designs for Curry Creek Edmondson Farm (small parking, trails, canoe landing) and Old Myakka Preserve concept and timeline (design approved; anticipated groundbreaking in 2026). She said staff have advanced a nature-based recreation strategic plan (2022) with 17 of 24 short-term actions complete or in progress, and noted efforts to expand programming, marketing ("Discover Natural Sarasota") and mobile-vending rules to better manage commercial operators in preserves.
Regarding boat access, Ressler reported the county maintains 10 motorized boat ramps and 29 official canoe/kayak launches. An analysis of more than 5,000 parcels narrowed a funnel to 29 high-priority sites for possible acquisition and work plans (north and south) that the board approved under consent the previous day to begin property negotiations; many candidate parcels are in southern county and Siesta Key areas.
Commissioners praised the work and asked staff to emphasize youth programming, maintenance funding and expedited acquisition where properties are actively for sale. Ressler said the ESLPP and MP programs will be considered for renewal on the 2026 ballot (sunset 2029) and staff will continue coordinating with municipalities and Visit Sarasota County to market and activate preserved lands.
