Sarasota County purchases 656-acre conservation easement from Longino Ranch

Sarasota County has purchased a 656-acre conservation easement from Longino Ranch, its such preservation purchase on the ranch since 2002.

"The conservation easement purchases remove the development rights from the properties and require that the property owners, both current and future, maintain the properties in their natural state and manage the natural resources for conservation purposes," a county press release said.

Conservation easements are "legal agreements in which a property owner promises to restrict the type and amount of development that can occur on the property," according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

The three easements the county purchased from Longino Ranch add up to more than 8,000 acres of protected space, part of 41,000 acres the county has preserved in eastern Sarasota County since 2000.

The property is at 26111 Turpentine Still Road, south of State Road 72, and is not open to the public. A Sarasota County spokesperson told the Herald-Tribune that the the purchase price of the easement was about $2.9 million.

"The land has been used for cattle grazing by ranchers and will protect greenspace and native wildlife for years to come," the press release said. "The land connects to the Florida Wildlife Corridor, further increasing the number of protected lands across the state of Florida."

White-tailed deer can be found on the property, along with bobcats, gopher tortoises, and burrowing owls.

Sarasota County purchases 656-acre conservation easement from Longino Ranch (yahoo.com)