04/10/06

Charlotte County commissioners will vote Tuesday whether to continue negotiations to purchase 65 acres of undeveloped property along Buck Creek in Cape Haze.

Commissioners will also vote whether to develop funding strategies to buy the land.

Chairman Tom Moore resurrected the idea of purchasing the Buck Creek property at a commission meeting last month.

The Lemon Bay Conservancy has spent more than a year trying to acquire the land. In April 2005, the property was valued at $6.65 million.

According to county reports, the acquisition of the property was included in the county's fiscal year 2005-06 budget, at which time the county would have loaned the conservancy $600,000.

But the conservancy was not able to secure a grant from the Florida Communities Trust, and buying the property never panned out.

A county report stated that it is still possible to buy the land. Funds would come from a variety of sources including:

* Removing funds from the contingency reserves both within the general fund and capital projects fund.

* Amending the fiscal year 2005-06 budget for franchise fees and other revenues this fiscal year.

* Examining other capital projects expenditures within the fiscal year 2005-06 and request reprioritizing such projects.

The Buck Creek property is located west of Placida Road near the intersection of Rotonda Boulevard Circle. The property is zoned for 120 units, giving the county the opportunity to recoup the money it spends on the property by selling off those units.

It's currently home to mostly pine and flatwoods and sits near Placida Road's building boom. It's also home to an an active eagle's nest, said Moore, adding the property, if acquired, could be used for scrub jay habitat.

Perry Cook, executive director for the conservancy, said if the county is successful in buying the land, the conservancy would look toward purchasing the adjacent undeveloped property east of Placida Road. That land is also zoned for residential buildings.

The conservancy is in the midst of a fundraising effort to buy the land near Buck Creek. So far, more than $140,000, including matching funds from Palm Island residents, have been raised.

"We are very eager to see the property preserved," Cook said. "We are not at all concerned about who owns it."

Assistant Englewood Editor   http://www.sun-herald.com/NewsArchive2/041006/tp9ew6.htm?date=041006&story=tp9ew6.htm