Pat Neal donates award, and more, to land conservation group

In honor of his decades of contributions to the preservation of environmentally sensitive lands in Southwest Florida, Neal Communities Chairman Pat Neal was presented with the 2024 Hearthstone BUILDER Humanitarian Award in May. 

He then combined the $150,000 honorarium that accompanies the award with an additional $200,000 raised by the company to donate a total of $350,000 to the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast.

The award is given in partnership with residential development investor Hearthstone and the national publication BUILDER magazine. The money will be used by the foundation to acquire land in Sarasota and Manatee counties, and to fund development of its  Strategic Conservation Plan. 

Now in its 20th year, the foundation has sponsored or managed the acquisition of nearly 20,000 acres across 58 properties in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties.

“The work being done by organizations like Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast related to land preservation is vital for our future generations to ensure that the public can enjoy everything that this beautiful state has to offer for years to come,” said Neal in a news release. “There is a lot of support for land conservation in our state from the public and environmental agencies, but the process of acquiring and preserving land for the future is not an easy one because of the competing and legitimate goals of private property owners.”

Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast protects land and water in Southwest Florida through strategic collaborations with individuals, groups, organizations and government. More information about the organization is available at ConservationFoundation.com.