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Santa Rosa County approves Slough conservation purchase; attorney clarifies public‑access language
Summary
The board approved purchase of about 30 acres (the Slough property) with a conservation easement; the county attorney recommended rewording the easement so it does not imply the county is removing public access rights, and the board approved the item without objection.
The Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners voted Jan. 8 to approve the county’s purchase of the Slough property, a roughly 30‑acre parcel on the sound side, and clarified conservation‑easement language to preserve public access.
County legal counsel explained that the conveyance documents prepared by Clark Partington included wording stating that "no right of access by the public is conveyed by this easement," which had caused confusion among residents. The attorney recommended changing the phrase to say that "no right of access by the general public to any portion of the property is impaired by this conservation easement," to make clear the easement would not remove access.
The attorney also pointed to a memorandum of understanding included in the meeting package that "guarantees public access and use," saying the intent of the documents was to preserve public access while protecting conservation values.
Chair told the board: "Ultimately, we purchased the property. We will never convey it. We will never sell it. We will never dispose of it. It will be permanent conservation and be for the good and public use," and then moved item 4 for approval. Seeing no objections, the board approved the purchase.
The board’s action establishes the property as conserved and incorporates the attorney’s recommended clarification in the record so the easement language does not imply removal of public access rights. No separate conditions, funding breakdowns or vote tallies beyond "approved without objection" were recorded in the meeting transcript.
