Manatee and Sarasota Voters Weigh Land Conservation Funding as Growth Continues

Voters across the greater Tampa Bay region will find local conservation measures on their midterm ballots, part of an effort supporters describe as helping to "keep Florida wild." Manatee and Sarasota counties each have questions that would fund the protection of land.

In Manatee County, residents are deciding whether to create a new property tax of up to 0.16 mills to buy land and keep it from being developed. The measure would also allow the county to borrow up to $75 million through bonds that mature within 20 years.

Conservation Florida has endorsed the referendum, saying it would safeguard water quality, natural lands and public preserves. Traci Deen, president and CEO of the Orlando-based nonprofit, pointed to rapid growth in the county, which has expanded by 30% over the last 10 years.

"We're seeing a lot of that rural character and a lot of the wild places be transitioned into more intensive uses and developed areas," Deen said. She added that demand for clean drinking water, parks, natural areas and wildlife habitat is rising as a result.

Deen noted that Manatee voters have supported this approach before. In 2020, 71% of them approved a similar bond referendum to protect 1,000 acres of local land. This year's version goes further by covering farmland, letting the county buy development rights on agricultural properties and restrict land use there to farming and ranching.

Sarasota County's ballot asks a different question: whether to continue two established programs, the Sensitive Lands Program from 1999 and the Neighborhood Parkland Program from 2005. Two separate questions address them. One asks voters to keep the existing 0.25-mill tax through 2049 to fund both programs. The other would authorize the county to issue up to $250 million in bonds.

Conservation Florida is backing both Sarasota measures. The county has grown by about 19% over the last 10 years. "This is another part of the state where we're seeing a lot of growth, a lot of development, and the transition of our wild and our agricultural lands into homes and strip malls," Deen said. She described the program as "very successful," saying it has protected more than 42,000 acres in its history.

The cost to homeowners differs between the two counties. The Sarasota tax is expected to cost $51 a year for a median homesteaded house, while Manatee homeowners would pay about $34 annually. The referendums in both counties include annual audits and citizen oversight.

Other local conservation measures are also on the ballot in Brevard, Charlotte, Marion, St. Johns and Santa Rosa counties.