TPL Option Agreement (Bond Ranch)/Charlotte Harbor Flatwoods Florida Forever Project REQUEST: Consideration of an option agreement to acquire 669.17 acres within the Charlotte Harbor Flatwoods Florida Forever project from The Trust for Public Land. VOTING REQUIREMENT FOR APPROVAL: Two members, one of whom is the Governor, when four members are voting; or any two members, when three members are voting. COUNTY: Charlotte LOCATION: Sections 22, 27, and 34, Township 42 South, Range 24 East Board of Trustees Agenda - September 23, 2014 Page Six ****************************************************************************** Item 4, cont. CONSIDERATION: $4,000,000 APPRAISED BY SELLER’S TRUSTEES’ Catlett Pallardy APPROVED PURCHASE PURCHASE OPTION PARCEL ACRES (07/31/14) (07/31/14) VALUE PRICE PRICE DATE Bond 669.17 $4,000,000 $3,500,000 $4,000,000 $4,000,000* $4,000,000** October 28, 2014 Ranch (100%) * TPL has the property under contract and will close prior to the Board of Trustees’ closing. ** $5,978 per acre. STAFF REMARKS: The parcel is located within the Charlotte Harbor Flatwoods Florida Forever project. The project is ranked number 18 in the Florida Forever Partnerships and Regional Incentives project category, which was approval by the Board of Trustees on June 17, 2014. The project contains 19,559 acres, of which 16,332 acres have been acquired or are under agreement to be acquired. If the Board of Trustees approves this agreement, 3,227 acres, or 16 percent of the project, will remain to be acquired. Project Description Northwest of Fort Myers lies the largest and highest-quality slash-pine flatwoods left in southwest Florida. The Charlotte Harbor Flatwoods project will protect these flatwoods and connect the Charlotte Harbor State Buffer Preserve with the Babcock-Webb Wildlife Management Area (WMA), helping to protect both of these managed areas and the waters of the Gasparilla Sound-Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserve. Property Description The Bond Ranch property (subject parcel) currently has a calf/cow operation on it which will be removed prior to closing. Access to the subject parcel is by a 100-foot-wide strip that was a former railroad bed that connects the north boundary of the subject parcel to the south right of way of Oil Well Road. The subject parcel floods during heavy rains and therefore has dikes and three pumps with a permit that allows the owner to pump water from the subject parcel to maintain the grazing of cattle. With the existing pump and dike system, the Bond Ranch is presently disrupting some of the natural drainage flow in the area. Through creative partnering, acquisition of the subject parcel could jump-start an ecosystem restoration project that has been stalled for decades. The subject parcel abuts a portion the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) I-75 widening project. State ownership and management of the subject parcel, in coordination with FDOT, will result in safe, self-sustaining and productive habitat for wildlife as well as offering significant water quality protection to Charlotte Harbor. Acquisition of the subject parcel will significantly improve the water quality in the area. Currently, during the wet season, the dike and pump system on the subject parcel disrupts the flow and causes water to remain on Babcock-Webb WMA. The owner’s dike and pump system could run 12 hours per day for five months per year during the wet season and result in a discharge of nutrients from the calf/cow operation for 300 to 500 cattle. The dike and pump system on the subject parcel Board of Trustees Agenda - September 23, 2014 Page Seven ****************************************************************************** Item 4, cont. maintains and directs the groundwater flow and calf/cow nutrient-waste to Prairie Pines Preserve. The dike system around the subject parcel results in flooding of large oak hammocks on Babcock-Webb WMA. Discharges from the subject parcel also negatively affect the Prairie Pines Preserve. Restoration of the subject parcel will restore the natural gravity flow out of Babcock-Webb WMA and redirect it to Yucca Pens Unit. This restoration effort has many benefits to the public. The economic benefit is estimated to be $10.1 million. The acquisition impacts and benefits the public by (1) restoration of natural wet season areas in the southwest portion of Babcock-Webb WMA; (2) nutrient reduction to Prairie Pines Preserve and the local groundwater recharge area; (3) saving money by eliminating stormwater ponds along I-75 in the immediate area and reduces FDOT mitigation for costs for future I-75 improvements; (4) wetland re-hydration to the south end of Yucca Pens Unit that will increase groundwater levels in lands that drain into Gator Slough, north of Cape Coral; and (5) initiating the first step of a regional watershed management strategy of the South Florida Water Management District, Southwest Florida Water Management District, and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to create a new flow-way from the subject parcel to Yucca Pens Unit. Mortgages and Liens All mortgages and liens will be satisfied at the time of closing. On June 22, 1999, the Board of Trustees approved a staff recommendation to delegate to DEP the authority to review and evaluate marketability issues as they arise on all chapter 259, F.S., acquisitions and to resolve them appropriately. Therefore, DEP staff will review, evaluate, and implement an appropriate resolution for any title issues that arise prior to closing. Closing Information A title insurance policy, a survey, and an environmental site assessment will be provided by the seller prior to closing. Buyer will reimburse the seller at closing. Management The property will be managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as an addition to the Babcock-Webb WMA. Comprehensive Statement This acquisition is consistent with section 187.201(9), F.S., the Natural Systems and Recreational Lands’ section of the State Comprehensive Plan. (See Attachment 4, Pages 1-32) RECOMMEND APPROVAL
Posted on: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 00:19:40 +0000
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