Can Manatee County go bigger on land conservation? Voters could decide in 2024 election

Voters may get the chance to increase Manatee County’s ability to buy land for conservation in an upcoming election.

And it won’t cost residents any extra money, leaders say.

In 2020, 71% of Manatee County voters agreed to tax themselves to fund land conservation efforts and protect environmentally sensitive lands from development.

With a cost of about $45 per year to the average homeowner, the tax currently generates $6-7 million annually, according to county staff. The referendum also authorized the county to bond up to $50 million for an advance on those tax funds.

The plan came to fruition this year with the purchases of two new county preserve areas — Crooked River Ranch in Parrish and an expansion of Emerson Point Preserve in Palmetto.

But while the tax money continues to flow in, the county is already nearing the limit of how much it can bond in advance for land buys.

Conservation funds approaching capacity

The county has already bonded $35 million, or more than two-thirds of the $50 million limit approved in the referendum.

It could limit how fast the county can invest in future large land buys. One commissioner argues that the cap should have been higher from the beginning.

By raising the limit, the county could open up bigger opportunities for conservation, said Commissioner George Kruse, who proposed asking voters to increase the bond limit to the Board of County Commissioners during a Land Use Meeting on Thursday.

“It’s not a single cent of additional tax,” Kruse said. “It’s not changing the millage. All it’s doing is giving us more capacity.”

Other commissioners said they were open to considering the idea.

“I’m in agreement on at least letting staff expend some time to write a potential resolution,” Commissioner Amanda Ballard said.

But they won’t have long to decide.

Any decision to modify the language of the original referendum has to go back in front of voters.

Kruse said staff would need 90 days to get language for a potential ballot initiative submitted and approved for an August 19 deadline, which is 109 days away. If approved, the measure would appear on the November 5 general election ballot.

What happens next?

Commissioners voted 5-0, with Commissioner Jason Bearden absent, to have staff create a draft resolution asking voters whether or not to increase the bond limit.

They will further discuss the possibility at a regular board meeting in the coming weeks.

In an interview with the Bradenton Herald, Kruse said a bond increase could help Manatee County put voter dollars into more impactful conservation efforts.

He mentioned the county’s efforts to purchase Rattlesnake Key as an example. As the state’s talks to buy the Tampa Bay mangrove island for conservation have stalled, it’s on the brink of going into the hands of private developers.

With a higher bond limit, Manatee County would have more power to step in in those instances, Kruse said.

“We’re seeing these big-acre opportunities,” Kruse said. “These bigger properties have much more meaningful effect.”

Kruse proposes $250 million — five times the current limit — as a potential new cap for the county’s bonding capacity. However, a higher limit doesn’t mean county officials will be required to spend that amount. The higher bond limit is meant to give government leaders more opportunities to keep preserving environmentally sensitive land.

He pointed to Sarasota County’s success with a similar process.

After a 1999 voter referendum for conservation land purchases began approaching the threshold of its $53 million bond limit, Sarasota County commissioners authorized a new referendum in 2005. Voters approved a new bond limit of $250 million.

“There’s a lot of opportunity to spend this money. There’s a lot of demand from the public,” Kruse said. “We can modify this language to better utilize this millage that we’re already paying.”

This story was originally published May 2, 2024 at 3:30 PM with the headline "Can Manatee County go bigger on land conservation? Voters could decide in 2024 election."