‘Safe spaces’ protected for many threatened, native species
On Dec. 15, the Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Department (PRNR) announced that the county had acquired nearly 3.6 acres of property that had been owned by the West Coast Inland Navigation District (WCIND) on Venice Island.
“This is part of the county’s ongoing commitment to environmental preservation and parkland acquisition under the Land Acquisition and Management Program (LAMP),” a news release pointed out. The closing date was Dec. 10, it said.
Located on South Tamiami Trail, “the 3.59-acre property overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway,” the release added. “It has functioned as part of the Venetian Waterway Trail,” where residents can bike and walk on a paved trail.
The records maintained by Sarasota County Property Appraiser Bill Furst and his staff note that the site was classified as “Vacant Institutional Land.” The record also indicates that the land had been held by WCIND since April 1984. This year, its market value was put at $1,192,700. WCIND sold it to the county for $100 or less, as indicated in the deed recorded by the Office of Sarasota County Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller Karen Rushing.
The county release pointed out, “The property contains 1.52 acres of remnant coastal hammock habitat and 2.15 acres of freshwater wetland. Protecting these habitats helps provide safe spaces for many threatened and native species such as gopher tortoises.”
An exhibit attached to the deed said that WCIND staff had recommended that the property be offered for sale “to the City of Venice and/or Sarasota County for preservation as a park/open space/conservation land/urban forest or other ecological use consistent with [WCIND’S] Real Property Disposition Procedures.”
If no transaction could be concluded with the city or county, the exhibit added, staff recommended that the property be offered to the Bellagio Homeowners Association (HOA) “at fair market value consistent with … the District’s Real Property Disposition Procedures.” Then, in the event no deal could be reached with the HOA, the exhibit said, “the property could be put on the open market,” in accord with the WCIND Real Property Disposition Procedures.
“This acquisition strengthens the continuity and long-term vision of the Venetian Waterway Trail,” said Nicole Rissler, director of Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources, in the release. “By acquiring this property, we’re able to enhance the trail experience, improve connectivity and ensure safe, accessible recreation for everyone,” she added.
“The funding for this acquisition was provided through the Neighborhood Parkland Acquisition Program (NPP),” the release explained. “NPP is a voter-approved, taxpayer-funded program established to acquire and protect natural lands and parklands under the Sarasota County Land Acquisition and Management Program,” the release noted.
A referendum on the renewal of the program will be on the November 2024 General Election ballot, the County Commission has agreed.
This is the 25th anniversary of the creation of what began as the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Acquisition Program, as Rissler most recently pointed out during an Oct. 21 presentation to the board.
Thirty-four percent of Sarasota County land is protected from development, she told the board, thanks in large part to the Land Acquisition Program.
For more information on the Sarasota County Land Acquisition and Management Program, visit bit.ly/landacquisitions.