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School board approves purchase of Jones Potato Farm site, expanding acquisition to 89 acres for $10.54 million
Summary
The Manatee County School Board approved an amended purchase-and-sale agreement to expand the Jones Potato Farm school site from roughly 40 to 89 acres for $10,537,500. The deal includes a 120-day feasibility period, developer-funded road construction secured by escrow or bond, a five-year capital-plan buyback clause, and a leaseback allowing the seller to continue farming.
The Manatee County School Board unanimously approved an amended purchase-and-sale agreement for the Jones Potato Farm school site on April 14, 2026, expanding the district's prospective school parcel from about 40 acres to 89 acres at a new total price of $10,537,500.
Board counsel summarized the amendment as an extension of an existing contract that adds the north 40 acres to the original site and preserves the district's standard due-diligence steps: a 120-day feasibility period for environmental studies and county approvals, a 60-day title and survey review, and one optional 45-day extension available for a supplemental $10,000 deposit. The initial $10,000 deposit from the prior contract remains applied to the transaction.
The agreement requires the property be added to the district's five-year capital plan within five years of closing or be offered back to the seller under a buyback provision. A developer obligation to build a public connector road to the site is secured either by a $500,000 escrow deposit or an equivalent performance bond. Counsel also said the seller will be allowed to continue farming the land under a lease-back at $200 per acre per year until the district develops the property.
Counsel told the board the district used two independent appraisals to establish the purchase price. He added that the seller may elect to document any increase in value at closing as a charitable contribution to the district, a mechanism the district has used in prior land acquisitions. Board members asked about the site plan, access points and the restricted area for lighted athletic fields adjacent to residential property; staff pointed to Exhibit B of the contract, which outlines an L-shaped area where the district has agreed not to place lighted fields.
After discussion, the board approved the motion (moved by Mr. Kennedy and seconded by Mr. Choate) by a 5-0 vote. Chair Sprague recorded the result by raised hands.
What happens next: closing is scheduled to follow completion of feasibility and title work. The contract remains conditioned on county comprehensive-plan approval permitting a school on the site, and district staff said they will return to the board with any material updates required by the feasibility studies or county review.
