Success in Protecting our Wild Places
When an Urban Land Institute team visited Sarasota County a few years ago, they were most impressed with the large blob of green they saw from aerial views of the county. That “blob of green” is one of the county’s most vital assets. It did not occur by chance. Sarasota County’s Environmental Lands Acquisition program began with a small group of citizens concerned about the rapid loss of natural landscapes to sprawling residential and commercial development. The group formed a political action committee, raised campaign funds and persuaded the Sarasota County commissioners to place a referendum on the ballot to dedicate 0.25 mills of the county’s ad valorem taxes to purchase environmentally sensitive lands. In March 2000, the referendum passed by a 2-1 ratio.
To date, the program has protected more than 15,000 acres of environmentally sensitive lands in Sarasota County. This acreage, combined with environmental land acquisitions of the past, places approximately 100,000 acres – about one-third of the county’s total land area under perpetual conservation.
The county made specific commitments to taxpayers and property owners about the program’s operation. Only parcels with willing sellers would be considered for purchase. The county would not use eminent domain or other forms of government taking. Once in the program, there would be no additional regulatory burdens and the landowner could withdraw at any time.
Criteria were developed to ensure that only parcels with certain outstanding environmental features were considered. The Sarasota County Commission appointed an oversight committee with a broad range of citizen representation to evaluate the properties according to the criteria. The Nature Conservancy was hired to negotiate purchase contracts on the county’s behalf.
Acquisition efforts have been spread throughout the county and include urban green space, waterfront and rural lands. Ten percent of the millage is set aside to fund the management and maintenance of the land. Each parcel has a plan prepared – with input from neighboring residents – to ensure that public access is available but does not degrade the site’s natural resources.
This program has demonstrated the value of partnerships and bottom-up management – a citizen’s initiative, administered by government through a private not-for profit organization with continuous citizen/government interaction, funded by local, state and regional monies. The county’s Environmental Land Acquisition program has maintained all promises made to the voters and property owners, and now enjoys one of the highest satisfaction ratings of any program the county administers.