Sarasota commissioners authorize negotiations, environmental review for Gulf Gate golf course acquisition

The Sarasota County Commission on Feb. 10 authorized county staff to negotiate a potential purchase and sale agreement for the former Gulf Gate Golf Course and to secure a third‑party environmental engineering analysis to estimate remediation and long‑term costs. The action follows more than two hours of public comment from neighborhood leaders and residents urging the county to acquire the nearly 49‑acre parcel to use as regional stormwater storage and public open space.

Supporters said the property could be repurposed to store and filter stormwater before it reaches Sarasota Bay, reducing flood risk for downstream neighborhoods. John Thaxton of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation told the commission the site sits about 0.72 miles from the bay and would “be an opportunity to correct some of those mistakes in the past” by improving water quality, flood protection and public open space. Several Gulf Gate residents said the parcel offers a rare chance for a large, low‑lying regional stormwater facility that would be less disruptive and less expensive than retrofitting dozens of smaller neighborhoods.

Planning staff, led by Matt Osterhout, told commissioners the property had been rezoned for up to 106 single‑family units in a 2016 action and that horizontal construction authorization remains active through 2027 unless extended. Staff also said three appraisals completed in 2025 showed two external valuations of roughly $6.5 million and $9.5 million, and that a prior market study estimated a fully developed value of about $25 million. Crucially, the site is undergoing a Florida Department of Environmental Protection remediation process tied to arsenic contamination from historical golf course activities, and the scope of remediation and future long‑term management remains uncertain.

Commissioners asked for more detail on remediation costs and liabilities before committing tax dollars. Commissioner Smith said he supported pursuing acquisition but stressed the county has a fiduciary duty to know potential cleanup costs and to structure any agreement with appropriate protections. County staff said an extended due diligence period and a third‑party environmental analysis would be included in any negotiated purchase and would return to the board with cost estimates and a proposed agreement.

The board voted unanimously to provide policy direction to continue discussions with the property owner and to procure an independent environmental engineering review, a step county staff said is intended to clarify remediation scope, potential funding strategies and next steps before a purchase is finalized.