Sarasota County will spend about $1.7 million to connect Pocono Trail Preserve with a 1-acre land acquisition along Dona Bay.
The county will pay about $1.475 million for the land, with the rest of the funds going toward closing costs and developing the land for public use. The Environmentally Sensitive Lands Protection Program (ESLPP) advisory board first approved the property for county purchase in 2021.
The 8.2-acre Pocono Trail Preserve is just off Tamiami Trail, a few blocks away from Nokomis Community Park and the Legacy Trail. It was acquired by the county in 2002 and features hiking trails and a fishing pier.
Nicole Rissler, the director of Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources, wrote in a memo to County Administrator Jonathan Lewis that the acquisition will “connect the two adjacent Pocono Trail Preserve parcels and provide habitat protection for native wildlife and vegetation.”
She told the Herald-Tribune that although the Sarasota County Property Appraiser valued the property at $427,300 in 2025, the county and seller rely on private appraisals.
The property is a habitat for osprey, great blue herons, white ibises and barred owls, according to Rissler.
Christian Casale covers local government for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Email him at ccasale@gannett.com or christiancasale@protonmail.com
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota County to spend $1.7 million on Pocono Trail Preserve expansion
Reporting by Christian Casale, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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