Martin County takes another step to conserve 9,328 acres with sales-tax revenue
By Keith Burbank | Treasure Coast Newspapers
MARTIN COUNTY — Conservation of more than 9,300 acres here is moving ahead, coming on the heels of the preservation of Bar-B Ranch and land in Pal Mar.
'When I think of the 'Martin County difference,' the word 'conservation' is what it's all about," County Commissioner Blake Capps told commission colleagues Oct. 21.
The commission voted unanimously to move forward with either buying or placing a conservation easement on 9,328 acres. A conservation easement takes the land off the market, so developers are unable to build on it.
Martin County — in partnership with the state — placed a conservation easement on about 1,700 acres of Bar-B Ranch, taking that land off the market forever. Bar-B Ranch owners will continue to own the land and use at least part of it for farming.
How it gets done
The money to buy the 9,328 acres for conservation will come from a designated half-percent sales tax approved by voters in 2024. The sales tax is expected to generate about $18 million a year for 10 years.
Before the prospective conservation lands come to the commission for approval, the county Environmental Lands Oversight Committee ranks them.
Sixteen properties, the latest evaluated by the committee, also included Whitworth Farms, a 2,262-acre property of pastures, pine flatwoods and hydric hammock.
If preserved, Whitworth Farms would extend a protective land corridor from Cove Road south to the county line and create an optimal boundary for Atlantic Ridge State Park, said Michael Yustin, senior project manager in the county Environmental Resource Division of Public Works.
"It's a unique opportunity," Yustin said.
The county also is moving ahead with acquiring a 488-acre parcel named Turnpike Dairy. Eighty-four percent of that land is improved pasture.
It has a higher development potential than some of the other 16 properties on the list approved by the commission. The oversight committee ranked each property on 10 criteria, which included development potential.
The county now will move ahead with other steps in the acquisition process, which include negotiating with the seller. Once those steps are complete, the property or properties will be back before the County Commission for final approval.
Keith Burbank is TCPalm's watchdog reporter covering Martin County. He can be reached at keith.burbank@tcpalm.com and at 720-288-6882.