Martin County panel ranks Big Cypress Ranch top; removes Avonlea parcels from county funding consideration

Martin County’s Environmental Lands Oversight Committee on Friday provisionally ranked candidate conservation parcels for the 2026 acquisition cycle, placing Big Cypress Ranch at the top of the list and forwarding the prioritized slate to the county commission for final consideration.

The committee accepted staff’s tabulation of ranked scores and voted to recommend forwarding the list to the Board of County Commissioners. Mike, the staff presenter, told the committee: “Avalon Lea was removed from consideration,” and outlined the ranked results staff produced after members submitted scoring sheets.

Why it matters: the ranking—which will guide how the county, its local partners and state grant programs prioritize land acquisitions—affects which parcels are most likely to receive county resources and staff time for due diligence, negotiation and potential purchase.

What the committee recommended: staff presented the final ordered list after tabulation and the committee voted to forward the rankings to the BOCC. The highest‑scoring parcels were, in order: Big Cypress Ranch (top score), Hawk’s Hammock Addition, Soul Properties, Palmar Chimney, MTM Ranch, First Methodist parcel, Justin Wilson Addition and DeTilio. The committee discussed funding prospects and program eligibility for state grant partners (for example, Florida Forever or rural/family‑lands programs) as part of its deliberations.

Avonlea parcels removed from county funding consideration: committee members spent an extended period comparing the county’s and the City of Stuart’s available sales‑tax allocations and debating whether the county should recommend using county sales‑tax funds for parcels inside the city’s limits. After discussion and a procedural vote, the committee removed the Avonlea/Avonlea‑area parcels from county consideration but clarified that the city remains free to pursue those acquisitions using its own sales‑tax allocation or other local tools. Lee Baggett, the city attorney, confirmed the City Commission previously adopted a resolution authorizing city staff to pursue acquisition and to collaborate with the county if appropriate.

What comes next: staff will present the committee’s recommendation and the supporting ranking data to the Board of County Commissioners, which makes the final decision on allocating county sales‑tax revenue for acquisitions. The committee also asked staff to clarify scoring category descriptions—particularly the new wetland/aquifer recharge metric the panel adopted earlier in the session—before the BOCC considers the packet.

The committee scheduled its next ranking meeting in mid‑September to continue pipeline reviews and follow up on properties that were deferred or not fully assessed at this session.