Sarasota County to buy Forest Lakes golf course for stormwater mitigation amid neighborhood demands to honor covenant

Sarasota County commissioners voted unanimously Jan. 27 to move forward with the purchase of the Forest Lakes golf course for stormwater creation and flood‑mitigation planning. Staff presented a purchase and sale agreement for the parcel at 1990 S. Boniva Road with a proposed contract price of $2,200,000 and a related budget amendment to appropriate $2,262,000 for the capital project and $54,000 in operating impacts.

Planning and Development Services Director Matt Osterhout told the board the county conducted two independent appraisals (about $2.0M and $2.5M) and transmitted a formal offer the seller accepted subject to board approval and satisfactory due diligence. Ben Quartermaine, the county’s stormwater director, said the acquisition would allow the county to begin planning, permitting and design work to convert parts of the former golf course into stormwater ponds that provide flood attenuation and water‑quality benefit for the Philippi Creek basin.

The county emphasized that the action authorizes purchase and the start of planning work; Quartermaine described the project as early‑stage and said additional design and permitting would follow. He and other staff told commissioners they plan to work closely with the Forest Lakes Homeowners Association and other neighbors during design and construction.

Several residents who live immediately adjacent to the course urged the board to delay or condition the acquisition until the county and the homeowners association reach a formal agreement to honor a private covenant recorded against the property. Multiple speakers said the covenant "runs with the land," obliges the owner to consult the association and constrains changes in use; they asked staff to negotiate a written process for community involvement, maintenance standards and protections for property values and safety.

Diana Davenport, a Forest Lakes homeowner, told commissioners: the covenant “merely ensures that our voice is heard on terms that must be agreeable to us,” and asked the board either to delay the vote or to direct staff to create a formal agreement with the association. Several other residents repeated that request and flagged concerns about potential changes to roadside drainage, maintenance of newly formed ponds, and impacts to private yards if roadway drainage is redirected into the new ponds.

Commissioners pressed staff on the process and the legal effect of the covenant. Osterhout said the signed purchase and sale agreement contains standard due‑diligence provisions, including a 120‑day review to identify encumbrances and resolve title/easement issues; staff said they had already met with association representatives and the county attorney during outreach.

Commissioner Smith moved approval of the purchase, related budget amendment and related resolutions; the board approved the motion 5–0. County staff said they will use the due‑diligence period to work with the association, refine plans and return progress updates to the board.

What happens next: County staff will complete environmental and title reviews, begin conceptual planning and permitting, and continue neighborhood outreach as designs and project plans are developed. The purchase is intended to initiate a multi‑step conversion of fairways into stormwater infrastructure; construction and final design remain subject to further approvals and permits.