Sarasota County Commission supports Longino Ranch purchase

Sarasota County and the Southwest Florida Water Management District have agreed to buy a 3,900-acre ranch near DeSoto County for $14.56 million.

If the deal were eventually closed at the approved price it would equate to $3,733 per acre. The property being bought is the Longino Ranch, on State Road 72 in northwest Sarasota County.

The Sarasota County Commission approved the deal in which the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast acted as the acquisition agent. The county will pay $1.46 million of the purchase price and the water district, known as Swiftmud, will pick up the remaining $13.1 million.

The agreement follows the county's recent $23.5 million purchase of the 3,800-acre Walton Ranch, which abuts the Longino Ranch. The goal of both acquisitions was to create a conservation corridor linking environmentally sensitive land in Sarasota County to land controlled by Swiftmud in DeSoto County.