The Sarasota County Commission voted Oct. 6 to pursue purchasing a contested 51-acre parcel near the Celery Fields and the former Gulf Gate Golf Course.
In separate votes, commissioners directed county officials to seek potential financial help from area nonprofits and foundations.
Both tracts of land are seen as valuable for stormwater retention and flood control.
What happened in the decision related to the Celery Fields?
The first vote involved a proposed settlement of a lawsuit filed by D.R. Horton in connection with its attempt to develop the 51-acre parcel commonly known as the “Smith Properties.”
The county commission unanimously rejected a proposed settlement of the lawsuit that would have allowed for 126 homes on the parcel, which was less dense than an 864-unit proposal filed on behalf of D.R.
Horton under the Live Local Act.
The board then unanimously approved a motion by Commissioner Teresa Mast to have county officials negotiate with D.R. Horton and the Smith family to determine a fair market price for the parcel and consult with representatives of the Sarasota Audubon Society and others to find money to help fund that purchase.
The board unanimously approved that motion, which was seconded by Commissioner Tom Knight.
County Attorney Josh Moye told the board that a query about purchasing the property had already been rejected while the county and the developer were in negotiations under the Florida Land Use and Environmental Dispute Resolution Act.
That FLUEDRA process, a step taken to avoid a Bert Harris Act lawsuit, produced a compromise proposal of an 80-home development that Sarasota County rejected in October 2025.
That came on the heels of rejecting proposals of 170-home and 126-home subdivisions.
In response to that FLUEDRA rejection, D.R. Horton filed to develop the 864-unit multifamily complex under the Live Local Act.
In April, the Sarasota County Commission voted to block approval of Live Local Act applications in rural areas.
Developers, including D.R. Horton filed litigation in the 12th Judicial Circuit seeking to compel the county to accept those Live Local applications.
In an earlier action Oct. 6, the county commission did approve a settlement agreement for one of those lawsuits that will allow Curico Land Holdings to develop homes on roughly 23.7 acres at 8893 Fruitville Road, currently owned by Yeshua’s Love Biblical Fellowship of Sarasota under the “Yes in God’s Backyard” provisions of state statutes.
Under that agreement, which was approved unanimously, the developer can build up to 306 multifamily homes at a density of 13 units per acre.
Those structures would be a maximum of three stories in height, with the homes available to people earning 80% of the area median income or less.
What happened in the decision related to Gulf Gate Golf Course?
County commissioners have already directed staff to pursue purchasing the 48.8-acre former Gulf Gate Golf Course from 13th Floor Homes, a Fort Lauderdale-based developer that owns the former golf course through Gulf Gate Holding LLC.
The main issue there has been price.
The property owner’s most recent asking price was $14.6 million, based on a March 2026 appraisal.
Sarasota County conducted an in-house appraisal in February 2025 that valued the property at $5.3 million, while an outside appraisal by Hettema Saba Appraisal valued it at $6.527 million in June 2025 and a second outside appraisal by Live Oak Analytics Appraisal valued it at $9.5 million.
In September, the board directed county staff to get new appraisals and pursue negotiations.
On Oct. 6, Knight, during his commissioner comments section, suggested that Sarasota County ask the Gulf Coast Community Foundation if it could help fund the purchase.
Jon Thaxton, director of policy and advocacy at Gulf Coast has frequently advocated for the purchase of the property for stormwater use.
Commissioner Joe Neunder, who represents residents in Gulf Gate, noted that the developer may be seeking to break ground in the near future.
Ultimately, the commission unanimously approved Knight’s motion for the county administrator’s office to draft a letter for Board Chairman Ron Cutsinger asking about helping to buy the land.
Though that letter has not been sent, Gulf Coast issued a statement Oct. 7.
“Gulf Coast welcomes the opportunity to discuss a public-private partnership with Sarasota County to preserve the Gulf Gate Golf Course and its ecology,” Gulf Coast President and CEO Philip Lanham said in the statement. “Environmental resilience is one of our three priority areas, and protecting our region's open spaces and vital waterways is central to that work.”
Earle Kimel primarily covers local governments in Sarasota County as well as land development and environmental issues for the Herald-Tribune. Follow him on Facebook and X. He can be reached by email at earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota County eyes two land purchases to help reduce flooding
