Manatee County Partners with State to Permanently Protect Nearly 1,500 Acres of Rural Land
By Lisa Neff
Manatee County has taken its first formal step toward permanently preserving nearly 1,500 acres of rural land through new conservation partnerships with the state.
The county board of county commissioners unanimously voted in late January to approve agreements that will protect two large working ranches from future development.
Memoranda of agreement with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Rural and Family Lands Protection Program pave the way for perpetual agricultural conservation easements on 1,483 acres in eastern and northeastern Manatee.
The agreements cover 438 acres at Mossy Island Ranch near Myakka City and 1,045 acres at Thundercloud Ranch near Parrish, both active cattle operations that also contain significant natural habitat.
Through the program, Manatee County and the state will jointly purchase conservation easements that permanently limit development while allowing the land to remain in agricultural use. County officials said the effort reflects both voter intent and growing pressure to balance growth with land conservation.
“It’s absolutely a piece of Florida that few people get to see any more,” District 1 Commissioner Carol Ann Felts said during the board’s discussion.
She continued, “I know when our voters voted to increase their own taxes, this is what they envisioned.”
Thundercloud Ranch, a 1,045-acre property located along State Road 62 in northeastern Manatee, sits within the Manatee River watershed and serves as a key link between the Edward W. Chance Reserve and South Fork State Park. The ranch includes native woodlands, freshwater marshes, wet prairies, lake swamps and forested wetlands, according to county staff reports.
Mossy Island Ranch, a 438-acre cattle operation in eastern Manatee, borders Myakka River State Park and existing conservation easements. The property lies within the Myakka River watershed and the Florida Wildlife Corridor and includes more than 360 acres of sustainable cattle, hay and sod production, along with wetlands and native uplands. Mossy Island Slough runs through the site, further enhancing its ecological value.
Under the agreements, Manatee’s financial participation will be capped at $1.5 million for Thundercloud Ranch and $500,000 for Mossy Island Ranch.
The state program will cover due diligence costs and the remaining purchase price of the easements.
Both properties were vetted and recommended by the county’s environmental lands management and acquisition committee, known as ELMAC, which unanimously supported pursuing partnerships with the state program.
Thundercloud Ranch ranked 54th out of 428 applicants statewide, while Mossy Island Ranch ranked 48th, based on agricultural, environmental and conservation criteria.
County natural resources director Charlie Hunsicker told commissioners that the partnership aligns with long-term conservation strategy and preserves agricultural diversity.
“It is a state program looking for partners in local governments like ourselves to ensure that these easements are for perpetual agricultural use,” Hunsicker said.
The Rural and Family Lands Protection Program was created by FDACS to preserve working agricultural landscapes while maintaining their economic viability and ecological function. Easements purchased through the program prohibit incompatible development, protect environmental resources and ensure the land remains in agricultural production.
The conservation easements would be co-held by the Florida Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund and the county.
FDACS would be responsible for monitoring and enforcing the easement restrictions.
FDACS also will execute and record the easements following final approval and payment by the county, after which easement restrictions will take effect.
County officials said additional agenda items related to final easement language and funding will come before the commission at a later date.
“This partnership ensures the long-term protection of Manatee County’s agricultural and natural resources,” county staff wrote in background materials, “while preserving these lands for future generations.”
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