Manatee gives green light to buy environmentally significant properties

The Manatee County Commission has given its approval for the Environmental Lands Management and Acquisition Committee to pursue the acquisition of three land parcels.

ELMAC had submitted the three parcels after identifying them as environmentally significant. It will be the county's first attempt to purchase environmentally significant land since voters passed in 2020 the Parks Projects Referendum, which gave ELMAC a dedicated funding source.

Two of the parcels border the north bank of the Manatee River while the other borders Terra Ceia State Park in northern Manatee County.

"I'm pleased that the board was so supportive," said ELMAC liaison Debra Woithe after the projects were approved Feb. 7. "Our acquisition group is ready to get started on this work."

The two parcels along the north banks of the river, known as Gospel Crusade and Gospel Crusade East, are owned by Gospel Crusade, Inc., which manages Christian Retreat on the south side of the river. Those two parcels total 68.8 acres.

Another property for which ELMAC requested approval but was turned down was a 25.970-acre property along Williams Road.

A property in eastern Manatee County — Owen Creek Highlands — had earlier been dropped from ELMAC's consideration because the owner did not want to sell.

ELMAC is expected to make offers quickly on the three approved parcels.

“The time sensitivity of these projects is very real, because owners are willing to work with us now,” said Natural Resources Director Charlie Hunsicker. “A decade from now, perhaps not. Five nears from now, perhaps not. And frighteningly, maybe three years from now, perhaps not.”

When the county and the property owners come to an agreement on a price for the three approved projects, the proposals will come to the board for final approval.

Photo by Ian Swaby

The process

With the three approved projects, ELMAC is moving into its due diligence stage, which will include seeking appraisals, and determining the county’s ability to negotiate.

Currently, the Terra Ceia property is the only one for which a draft work plan has been prepared. 

The work plans detail estimated costs for acquisition, capital improvements, public access, public safety, management, and restoration.

The committee uses qualified appraisers from the Florida Forever acquisition list. A property over $1 million will be assigned two appraisers. If the appraisers' estimates are more than 20% apart, a third appraiser will be used.

Hunsicker said the state has a solid history of not overpaying for environmentally significant properties.

He said there is no timeline when the purchase of the properties will be completed.

The process begins with a preliminary assessment in which ELMAC looks at the natural resource value of the property.

If the property ranks high in that regard, it is considered to be qualified. ELMAC then reaches out to the property owner to see if a sale is possible.

An onsite meeting is then scheduled before the property is reviewed by the ELMAC advisory board members.

At-large Commissioner Jason Bearden called the Gospel Crusade property "such a unique piece of property" that could provide residents with recreational possibilities.

District 3 Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge praised the ELMAC committee for researching possible other sources of revenue to buy the properties. ELMAC has been in talks with organizations such as Florida Forever, Southwest Florida Water Management District, and Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast.

Photo by Ian Swaby

Van Ostenbridge said those other funding possibilities would save county residents millions of dollars and would stretch the $50 million pot the referendum produced.

Woithe said the three Manatee River properties form a “sort of complex” along the river, and Hunsicker called the connection of the three “something we should take advantage of relative to the timing of the opportunity and the values that are there.”

Woithe said the Gospel Crusade properties had great value including 470 acres of natural wetlands and uplands, and 17 species of interest. She said the area would be excellent for camping and noted the presence of camping facilities already in the area.

The eastern Gospel Crusade property will serve as an access point for the western property, which would otherwise be locked in by the surrounding areas.

Van Ostenbridge said he liked Hunsicker’s focus on expanding camping in the county, with Ballard in agreement. He said the situation during COVID-19, during which higher numbers of residents were seeking campsites, highlighted the absence of a county-facilitated campground.

A possible state acquisition of the Terra Ceia property would allow Manatee County's funds to go toward additional lands.

Hunsicker said if the county bought the Terra Ceia property, and the state park system would manage it, Manatee County would save money. He said the park is working on a letter of commitment from the state's program.

Woithe also said the land could be acquired with under a million dollars in contributions from Manatee County, based on contributions of other parties involved which currently include the state and the Southwest Florida Management District. She said the Terra Ceia property's non-appraised value would be between $3 and $4 million.

Hunsicker said while the state may expect a contribution from the local government, there is an opportunity for one at the local level, including maintenance activities and some trail development.