Sarasota County OKs purchase of Forest Lakes golf course for stormwater project after neighborhood talks

Sarasota County commissioners voted unanimously to approve staff recommendations to move forward with acquisition of the Forest Lakes Golf Course and related budget and capital-improvement plan changes intended to convert portions of the site into engineered stormwater ponds for floodplain creation and water-quality benefits.

Planning staff told the board that Grove Squares Capital LLC offered the property for $2.2 million, supported by two independent appraisals ($2.0 million and $2.5 million), and that a seller-signed purchase-and-sale agreement is in the packet. The project is listed as CIP project number 75890; staff asked for a budget amendment to appropriate $2,262,000 for land acquisition and estimated $54,000 in operating impacts.

Ben Quartermaine, Director of the Stormwater Department, described the idea as an early-stage retrofit to create stormwater ponds from fairways to provide flood protection and water-quality improvements for the Phillippi Creek basin after the county's 2024 flooding. Quartermaine repeatedly characterized the proposal as an engineered stormwater facility—not a park—and said design, permitting and detailed engineering have not yet begun.

Residents of Forest Lakes pressed the board during public comment to recognize a private covenant recorded against the golf course that "runs with the land" and, they said, limits changes in use without homeowner support. Connie Neely, president of the Forest Lakes Homeowners Association, told the commission she had compiled research and legal analysis and asked the board to "work with our association to create a formal agreement that abides by the covenant." Diana Davenport, a resident whose backyard abuts the course, told commissioners, "You must get this right." Several residents warned about maintenance, aesthetics, property values and the loss of a local, accessible golf course.

Planning staff and the county attorney's office said the contract provides a 120-day due-diligence and cure period for easements, restrictions and encumbrances, and staff indicated they believe the covenant language permits open-space or stormwater uses. Planning Director Matt Osterhead told the board the county has the right to investigate title and encumbrances during that period and that staff would meet with the homeowners association throughout design if the board approves acquisition.

Commissioners emphasized the need for meaningful, iterative engagement with residents before engineering and construction begin. Commissioner Smith moved to approve items 25 A——D—including adoption of the surtax-3 project-list change, the CIP resolution amendment, the budget amendment, and authorization to execute the purchase-and-sale agreement—with the expectation that staff would use the 120-day due-diligence period to reach agreement with the association where possible; Commissioner Mast seconded.

The board called the question and approved the package 5—6. The approved actions authorize the county administrator and designees to execute the sale documents and complete the transaction subject to satisfactory due diligence. Next steps identified by staff include title review, environmental assessment, survey work and outreach with the Forest Lakes Homeowners Association and other stakeholders; design and permitting steps would follow only if due diligence is satisfactory.

Project and contract details in the record include the purchase price of $2,200,000, CIP project number 75890, a requested appropriation of $2,262,000 and operating impacts estimated at $54,000. The purchase-and-sale agreement contains a 120-day period for the county to investigate and cure easements, restrictions and encumbrances, during which the county may terminate the agreement at its sole discretion.