Manatee County just agreed to buy part of an island. Here’s why

Manatee County leaders voted this week to expand a local nature preserve with the purchase of 13 acres of island property near the mouth of the Braden River.

The $41,500 land buy will add a missing piece to the county’s 85-acre Pine Island Preserve, just south of State Road 64 and the Manatee River. It will be funded by Manatee County’s conservation tax that voters approved in 2020.

The Environmental Lands Management and Acquisition Committee, a volunteer group that helps the county identify potential conservation lands, recommended the property for purchase last year.

Made up of sandy pine forest fringed by thickets of mangroves, county staff say the island provides water quality benefits and shelters native wildlife, including nesting and migrating birds.

In 2015, county leaders considered selling off part of Pine Island Preserve as surplus land, the Bradenton Herald previously reported. But Natural Resources Director Charlie Hunsicker pushed back on the idea, and it was voted down.

“It’s a beautiful place to visit. You can paddle up or boat up,” said Debra Woithe, the county’s conservation lands manager.

The island also lies about a quarter-mile from Tampa Bay’s only coastal breeding and nesting grounds for wood storks at the state-owned Dot Dash Dit Critical Wildlife Area. The lanky and bald-headed wading birds are among the largest in North America. They also depend on wetlands to survive and are listed as a threatened species by federal and state officials.

Other birds that frequent the area include herons, egrets and roseate spoonbills.

The 13-acre addition will not require additional maintenance funds, staff said. In a work plan, they explained that the county has already been managing the property on behalf of the landowner for several years, including conducting prescribed burns.

Commissioners approved the purchase 6-0 at a board meeting Tuesday, with Commissioner Tal Siddique absent.

Manatee County gets $11.9 million refund

In another conservation update, Manatee County recently announced an agreement with the state that will put $11.9 million back into the county’s conservation fund.

Last year, county officials approved a $15.5 million land purchase to add over 90 acres to Emerson Point Preserve in Palmetto. That purchase was also paid with conservation referendum funds.

At the time, state officials expressed interest in reimbursing the county for part of the purchase through the Florida Forever program. In a letter dated April 3, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection offered the county $11.9 million for 83 acres of the land.

Woithe explained that Florida Forever program funds typically cover about 80% of a property’s appraised value.

“The sale to the state will reimburse the conservation fund so that we can use that money to buy more conservation land within Manatee County,” Woithe said. “There was no guarantee we were going to get it, but I’m very grateful this came through.”

Commissioners voted 6-0 to approve the agreement at a recent Land Use Meeting, with Commissioner Amanda Ballard absent.

While the state will own the land, Manatee County will manage it as a county park. The same arrangement is in place for the rest of Emerson Point Preserve’s 365 acres, which the state leases to the county.

As part of a sale agreement with the county, the Angelo family kept a 4-acre waterfront parcel with permission to build up to four single-family homes there. The county has also set aside a 10-acre piece of land so utilities can be provided to the future homes.

Emerson Point Preserve receives over 250,000 visitors a year, according to the county. The preserve’s new expansion could be open to the public by winter 2026, Woithe said.